Rishi Sunak: 'We’re throwing absolutely everything at it'

Rishi Sunak has told the BBC that employment for young people is "at the forefront" in his mind.

The Chancellor was commenting on the fact that less than 2,000 young people who applied for the government's £2bn Kickstart jobs scheme have so far started new roles, although about 120,000 temporary work placements have been created since September.

"I’ve always said my priority through this crisis is to protect, support and create as many jobs as possible, and young people in particular have been at the forefront of my mind," he said.

"We know that they're most likely to work in affected sectors, they’re twice as likely to be furloughed, and the ones leaving college are entering a really difficult labour market."

He added that the jobs scheme was just one of many measures the government was implementing: "If you look at the other interventions we've made - we're funding more training, skills, bonuses for apprenticeships.

"We're throwing absolutely everything at it, and rightly, because we want young people, in spite of difficult climate, to have that hope, to have that opportunity."