Liberal Vannin is calling on the government to deliver a ’Covid focused’ budget, saying that ’now is not the time to drop our guard.’

The party stated that the budget should be ’fair and just’ while ’providing opportunities for our community to grow and prosper again.’

It stressed the need to ensure that funding is available for the Department of Health and Social Care so it can continue with the vaccine rollout, as well as being able to deal with ’health care as usual’ while reducing waiting lists for those with physical or mental health needs that were impacted by the pandemic.

A statement from the party went on to acknowledge the damage the pandemic has caused to jobs, particularly in the service sector ’which can be precarious at the best of times’.

It urged the government to ’ease the squeeze on the cost of living’ for those who have endured a ’rollercoaster’ in their income due to Covid-19 job disruption, alongside retirees living on limited fixed incomes.

It added the government should take a long-term approach to balancing the books, but warned that now is not the time for across-the-board public spending cuts.