Gordon Brown calls for urgent budget help as 1 in 7 UK firms face collapse
by Larry Elliott Economics editor from on (#5DBXF)
Ex-PM calls for Treasury to get ahead of Covid crisis as LSE report warns 1m firms could fail by spring putting 2.5m jobs at risk
Gordon Brown has called for emergency measures to support businesses in the budget after new research from the London School of Economics warned almost 1m UK companies were at risk of failure in the next three months.
The former prime minister said the report's finding that one in seven businesses - employing 2.5 million people - might be forced to close by the spring should act as a clarion call" to Rishi Sunak as he prepares his tax and spending measures for 3 March.
Related: IMF downgrades forecast for UK economic recovery
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