Jeremy Hunt urges 5million newly-retired Brits to get back to work to help economy

JEREMY Hunt yesterday urged up to five million jobless or newly-retired Brits to get to work — declaring: “Your country needs you.”

The Chancellor effectively begged those who quit during the pandemic or have been on long-term sick leave to help boost Britain’s fortunes.

He pledged a series of shake-ups, which could include tax allowances, to get them off their sofas as he set out a vision for long-term prosperity.

Mr Hunt said: “We will never harness the full potential of our country unless we unlock it for each and every one of our citizens.

“Nor will we fix our productivity puzzle unless everyone who can participate does.”

He added: “‘If companies can’t employ the staff they need, they can’t grow.”

He said there are “five million people who don’t want to work with around one in five working age adults economically inactive”.

Making a keynote speech hosted by Bloomberg in central London, the Chancellor said this was “an enormous and shocking waste of talent and potential”.

He added: “It is time for a fundamental programme of reforms to support people with long-term conditions or mental illness to overcome the barriers and prejudices that prevent them working.”

Mr Hunt also called upon those who left employment during Covid to rethink — and put rocket boosters under the economy.

He said: “So to those who retired early after the pandemic or haven’t found the right role after furlough, I say, ‘Britain needs you’.

“And we will look at the conditions necessary to make work worth your while.”

UK unemployment figures have been at some of their lowest in nearly 50 years.

And Bank of England boss Andrew Bailey earlier this month said though a long recession was expected, it was likely to be “shallow”.

During the speech, Mr Hunt also revealed he would focus on the “four Es” — which he listed are enterprise, employment, education and everywhere — which form the Government’s flagship levelling-up policy.