Watch: Shadow transport sec backs #SaveTravelJobs

Just days after launching the campaign earlier this week, Labour’s Jim McMahon delivered his support in a new video and echoed Abta’s fears 200,000 industry jobs could be lost should ministers not step up and do more.

In the video released on Friday (6 August), McMahon warned: “If we don’t save travel jobs that means our regions, our households and our economy ultimately will be much worse off.”

He called for “far more support” for travel firms, which he said had been “absolutely devastated” over the past 18 months by inbound and outbound restrictions.

“We’re all concerned that if furlough ends in September, as currently planned, that will mean a loss of many jobs across this country to parts of our economy that will be critical to our recovery," said McMahon.

TTG’s #SaveTravelJobs initiative forms the next stage of our #SaveTravel campaign – with a new letter to Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak highlighting the immense challenge still facing the sector, along with demands for them to provide urgent support in order to save hundreds of thousands of jobs.

The letter, which can be signed here, has three key demands and echoes the latest call for support from by the Abta-led Save Future Travel Coalition.

- To provide furlough support beyond 30 September until at least April 2022;

- To introduce dedicated financial support for this industry, including 100% business rates relief for the full financial year, as well as a dedicated grant scheme;

- And to use their positions to publicly voice support for the travel industry – especially travel agents – to restore confidence in this sector, in the same way they spoke up for restaurateurs when the government launched the Eat Out to Help Out scheme this time last year.

TTG is collecting signatures on the letter and it will be delivered to the PM and chancellor later this month.