Tourist hotspots hit hardest in UK by Covid-19 unemployment

Analysis by Labour finds percentage rise of benefit claimants far outstrips other areas

Tourist hotspots across the UK are bearing the brunt of the ailing jobs market, an analysis of data on unemployment benefit claims since the Covid-19 lockdown has shown.

Figures from Labour show that in areas heavily reliant on tourism the rise in the number of people seeking unemployment benefits in recent months is an average of 65 percentage points higher than in other areas. The data has prompted Keir Starmer to warn that holiday towns are facing a jobs crisis.