BORIS Johnson has dismissed demands to adopt a three-pronged approach to the UK’s economic recovery.

The Prime Minister was pressed by the SNP to extend furlough and extra benefit payments beyond September. He was also urged to ban “fire and rehire” practices among businesses.

It came after the Tory leader confirmed his government would launch a full public inquiry into the handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

SNP deputy Westminster leader Kirsten Oswald, responding in the Commons, said: “I was interested to hear the Prime Minister committing to an inquiry. He’ll be aware the First Minister already committed to this and of course the devolved administrations have tailored their decisions to their needs.”

She pointed to new figures from the Office for National Statistics which show the UK’s economy shrank by 1.5% in the first quarter of the year.

The National:

“This morning’s ONS figures demonstrate the depth of the plummet that’s being experienced by the economy and equally show the scale of the recovery needed.

“That’s why the glaring omission of an employment bill from the Queen’s Speech was so shocking – a clear signal of a UK Government with no recovery plan,” Oswald said.

The SNP MP urged Johnson to confirm three concrete measures to “kickstart the economy and help those still in need”.

She demanded that he U-turn on plans to abandon the furlough scheme in September, which she warned will result in a “damaging cliff edge” for millions of workers.

The Prime Minister was then told to commit to extending the £20 Universal Credit uplift beyond September.

Finally, she implored the PM to introduce legislation to scrap the “disgraceful practice” of “fire and rehire” in the UK.

Johnson refused to commit to any of the measures, but insisted his government was determined to go from “jabs, jabs, jabs to jobs, jobs, jobs”.