Rushanara Ali

The coronavirus pandemic has sent global markets into turmoil and the detrimental impact on the global economy continues to evolve at an unprecedented speed. Global supply chains have been disrupted, local economies have been wrecked by businesses collapsing, and millions have lost their jobs. Those countries with developing economies will be hit the hardest. Continue reading

The Government’s Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme currently provides lenders with a guarantee of 80% of the outstanding balance on each loan provided to SME’s. Following pressure from Labour and other opposition party MPs, the Chancellor updated the scheme so that personal guarantees cannot be taken for facilities less than £250k, and that people’s primary residences are not allowed to be taken as security under the scheme.   Continue reading

Hundreds of thousands of workers, across all sectors, are being failed by the Government’s Job Retention Scheme, designed to help companies hit by the Covid-19 crisis. Treasury Select Committee member Rushanara Ali, MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, has written to the Chancellor demanding urgent action before hundreds of thousands are thrown into even greater financial difficulty. Continue reading

On 15 April 2020, the Government changed the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme by extending the eligibility date to 19 March 2020, which means that anyone reported on payroll by 19 March is now eligible to be furloughed. However, the Government also announced that employers have to have logged RTI submissions with HMRC and added employees to payroll by this date, a practice that commonly falls to the end of each month. Continue reading

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Following reports of the disproportionate impact coronavirus has on BAME communities, a group of prominent British-Asian celebrities have created a health advice video targeting the Asian community.  Continue reading

Thirty-four MPs have called on the UK Government to act urgently to return British nationals from Bangladesh. In a letter to the Foreign Secretary sent on Tuesday 14 April, the MPs raised their concerns on behalf of thousands of British nationals currently stranded in Bangladesh.  Continue reading

The coronavirus pandemic is the biggest public health emergency of our time. The virus has taken away friends, relatives and loved ones, and caused great uncertainty for us all. My thoughts are with all those who have lost loved ones. But together, our families, and our communities, will come through this.   Continue reading

On 4 April 2020 Sir Keir Starmer was elected as the new leader of the Labour Party.  Continue reading

UK and other wealthy governments must take action to protect world’s poorest countries during coronavirus pandemic  OVER 200 PARLIAMENTARIANS from across parties are calling on the UK Government to provide urgent support to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable countries and communities as they deal with the COVID-19 crisis. Continue reading