Former PM Gordon Brown is launching a radical UK-wide campaign to stop the coronavirus fallout triggering massive unemployment.
Amid warnings the jobless total could surge from less than 1.4 million to as high as 4.1 million by the end of the year, the Labour stalwart is heading a new national jobs coalition.
The Alliance for Full Employment is backed by the mayors of London, Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield, Newcastle and Bristol, plus Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford and Scottish Labour leaders.
Trade unions are preparing to sign up to a list of demands including: a legal obligation on the Bank of England to promote jobs; launching apprenticeships and genuine youth training; extending the furlough scheme; and taking public stakes