Are you watching the Prime Minister speaking live on news channels?

Nobody has said it would be easy...this virus is unusual, and times are unusual, but why do some posters think that anyone, particularly those with children will either starve or go hungry?
The most anyone with the virus has to be off work is 14 days,
And if anyone needs help with money they have to seek help,
Which the government is promising will be there.

this is not the 19th century...
...tell that to people sleeping on the streets/living in hostels. Do you have no compassion?
...oh, and, by the way, what are you actually doing to help people at the moment?

The usual prejudices coming to the fore I see!

trisher it’s either 7 days at home if you think you have the virus or 14 days if somebody in the household has it.
That’s if people are honest about it, a lot won’t be if their symptoms are mild.
Of course nobody will be posting sick pay through their front door ...it will be paid into their accounts. Accessing the money
Means drawing it out at a quiet time of day or night.
Talking to their local authority at this time, foodbanks, community help etc as well as friends and neighbours will make sure nobody starves to death, this is not the 19th
century.

The big issue are the self employed. They have nothing to fall back on.

Undoubtedly some will be on very lucrative contracts and so should be cushioned for a short time if their income stops, but there are a very large level of those folk classed as self employed on a very low income level, such that prohibits their ability to save for a rainy day.

Nothing has yet been done for these folk to help over the weeks wait for UC and almost certainly there are insufficient staff to deal with what will be an overwhelming level of claim.

So I think to say that people may go hungry is not an exaggeration. We know that people go hungry now, that is why there are food banks.

Let them eat cake....

Because of course you KNOW they won't lemon ! Just as I suppose no one with disabilities died under the Tory government? So the sick pay will be delivered to those who fear they have covoid 19 and are self isolating, who can't afford to heat their houses, pay their mortgage or feed themselves?

I know people who do work but can only afford to buy things on a weekly basis and are struggling because of empty shelves in supermarkets. One friend said she can't afford to waste petrol driving to a shop and then not get what she needs. It reminds me of when I was a young mother and we were so poor I sometimes checked down the side of the sofa/coat pockets etc trying to find a bit of extra money.

They don’t starve trisher and it all depends as some zero hours contracts do have arrangements with the employer, others don’t so if off sick and almost destitute ( how many are in that position?) can apply for help, in the first instance from their local authority.
It will be hard times for some in these cases, but don’t over egg the pudding by saying people will starve.

lemongrove what do you suppose people on zero hours contracts do when off sick? They starve. Actually they don't they roll into work in any state because otherwise they do starve. So she will have to apply for sick pay do you imagine it will come through on the day she applies? Really some people live in cloud cuckoo land!

DH and I both said that Sunak will be the next Tory leader/PM.

However, that's probably ruled him out as I predicted with confidence that Boris would never become PM


#notpythia

Yes, sick pay paid from day one will give 50p for her meter in the event that she really is down to her last 50p.
What does she do normally when off work sick?

Johnson on tv at PMQ ‘s just now talking of help for workers.

Listening to people phoning in on Jeremy Vine I was struck by the very real problems some are facing paying bills and just surviving and if anyone can tell me anything BJ has done to alleviate their fears I would like to hear it. One woman stuck at home, no wages, metered. electricity and gas what will she do when her money runs out? There may be sick pay but it isn't going to give her 50p for her meter is it?

”I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised by all the partisan sniping ,”

I’ve observed sniping from both sides

The one with the multicoloured hair Labaik and a sarcastic expression.Thank goodness she was ruled out of the LP leadership race.

Is she the one that had to help Raab with his geography again?

trisher......the thing is, the man that was elected ( by a very big majority) isn’t making a hash of it, although I quite see why you would want to think so.
I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised by all the partisan sniping ,
But I did imagine that with such a health crisis in front of us,
Posters would be grown up about it.In Parliament today everybody but Emily Thornberry took a ‘ we will all pull together’ approach which was really refreshing.

Meryl

Whirewavemk2
Sunak will be the next Tory leader No shit, Sherlock!!

That's probably the only prediction you've ever made that will come true. I predict he will come to power in the 3rd term of a Tory government. It's not exactly rocket science, is it, with no one to stop them.

Ah distraction discuss the election and Corbyn instead of the terrible hash the man you elected PM is making of things.

Sunak will be the next Tory leader. I bet my hat on that.

And???

Tickingbird: well said. Corbyn's inaction went a long way to losing the election for Labour.

Sunak will be the next Tory leader. I bet my hat on that.

Grany You have absolutely no idea what Corbyn would have done and I know that I, like the vast majority of the country who cast their votes, would not like Corbyn et al to be at the helm during this crisis. I won't say anymore as I find it quite sickening that at this terrible time, you and others have nothing better to do or say than come on here moaning and trying to settle old scores because you lost the vote - both times!

And there you have it. Monetary and Fiscal stimulus.

15% of GDP being used to support business.

“Multiplier effect” my goodness they have learned well from Keynes haven’t they?

This will worry some of the more hard right amongst us.Me? I think it inevitable.

www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/03/17/uk-prepares-seek-eu-trade-talks-extension-coronavirus-crisis/

Imperial College are the ones that did an extensive study [in 2018]on what would happen if we had a pandemic. I know who I intend to listen to.