| Good evening I realise I am stepping into murky waters here, but whatever your politics, there is definitely an effort going on in Government to protect as many jobs from the shock of the pandemic as possible. The furlough scheme, which helped companies retain millions of people who would have been instantly made redundant, was the first move in a series of announcements aimed at helping people left in vulnerable positions after the onset of Covid-19. There have been others since, from cash for the Arts to loans and grants for business and the self-employed. All of it running into billions of pounds. And while there have been a significant number who have fallen through this wide net, it is almost impossible to catch everyone. Now the Chancellor has announced further initiatives to try to get the economy moving in the hope of saving jobs. A stamp duty holiday to get the housing market going, a cut in VAT for hospitality and tourism and even an incentive scheme for people to eat out in August. In the end all this may not work. But it’s certainly worth a try. Email me with your views at [email protected].uk. Take care, Gillian Here are some of today's top stories ... | 
