‘Jobs and training opportunities are vital now,’ says Yvette Cooper MP

“Already unemployment round here has been going up, and with more than 13,000 local workers on furlough, many employers are saying that things will be tough for a while.

“In coalfield communities, we saw in the 80s and 90s the damage that high unemployment can do - especially to young people.

“We can’t go back to those days.

“That’s why we need urgent action this summer - including job guarantees for young people.

School, college and university leavers are among the hardest hit.

“Normally they would soon be starting their first job or apprenticeship, but few workplaces are recruiting now as no one quite knows what is ahead.

“A third of 18-24-year-olds have lost their jobs or been furloughed, and others have seen their wages fall.

I’ve been pushing the government to make sure that financial support is available for anyone struggling - no one should be worried about putting food on the table because workplaces have had to be closed to keep everyone safe.

“But we also need action to make sure everyone has a job or training to go back to.

“That’s why we need a major plan for school and university leavers so they don’t end up losing out for years to come.

We’ve done it before. As a Labour government minister in 2009 I brought in the Future Jobs Fund to create 100,000 jobs for young people during the financial crisis, and we introduced a job or training guarantee for everyone under 25 who couldn’t find work.

“Now we need this government to do the same - and on a bigger scale.

“I’ve talked to local manufacturers who want to take on apprenticeships but don’t have the funding because of the crisis.

“The government should fund them to help get everyone through.

“Local homes need new insulation to help tackle climate change. Young people should be trained to do those jobs now.

“And children are going to need catch up support this year for the schooling they’ve lost.

“Why not recruit new graduates to provide tuition support?

“If the government is serious about “building back better”, it must invest in our young people so that their futures are secure.

“Thanks to Marcus Rashford and campaigners across the country, 3,000 local children will still get food support this summer.

“The government had planned to end free school meal vouchers over the holidays, but after the footballer’s campaign they agreed to support Labour’s motion and keep the vouchers going.

“I’m relieved they have done so as it would have hit families hard, but it must only be the start.

“No child should be going hungry in 21st century Britain.

“Families have paid the price for austerity for too long, with low pay and Universal Credit delays causing them real problems.

“I’ve spoken to too many parents who miss meals to make sure their children get fed.

“Every child deserves the best chance in life.

“We need to keep fighting to end child poverty for good.”