Boris Johnson set to announce public spending surge

The Prime Minister will announce a spending blitz next week as he looks to "ready" the country for the "thunderclap of economic consequences" caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Laying out his vision for the country's revival, Boris Johnson will use a speech on Tuesday to announce the creation of a taskforce charged with fast-tracking the building of schools, hospitals, roads and even prisons as the UK bids to find a way out of the downturn.

Speaking to the Mail on Sunday, Mr Johnson - who claimed to be feeling as "fit as a butcher's dog" following his own brush with Covid-19 - said: "This has been a huge, huge shock to the country but we're going to bounce back very well.

"We want to build our way back to health.

The Prime Minister will announce a spending blitz next week as he looks to "ready" the country for the "thunderclap of economic consequences" caused by the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Heathcliff O'Malley - WPA Pool/Getty Images)The Prime Minister will announce a spending blitz next week as he looks to "ready" the country for the "thunderclap of economic consequences" caused by the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Heathcliff O'Malley - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
The Prime Minister will announce a spending blitz next week as he looks to "ready" the country for the "thunderclap of economic consequences" caused by the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Heathcliff O'Malley - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
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"If Covid was a lightning flash, we're about to have the thunderclap of the economic consequences. We're going to be ready."

Downing Street said the speed at which the NHS Nightingale hospitals were created across the country during the deadly outbreak inspired Mr Johnson to set up the infrastructure delivery taskforce, which will be chaired by Chancellor Rishi Sunak.

The group will be told there are now "no excuses for delays" to building programmes after the country demonstrated it can move at pace during a national emergency.

Known as "Project Speed" among officials, the body will sift through the blueprints of major infrastructure projects which are in the pipeline and look to iron out any inefficiencies which could hold-up their delivery and stall the country's recovery.

The PM told the Mail the country would "'absolutely not (be) going back to the austerity of ten years ago" seen under ex-Tory leader David Cameron, with multiple reports saying Mr Johnson is preparing to announce "tens of billions" of pounds of investment.

The Government hopes a building boom will boost jobs and improve connectivity as it looks to drive growth after the pandemic.

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