Rishi Sunak has announced a multibillion-pound extension of the government’s 80 per cent furlough scheme until March as he warned of a “difficult winter” ahead.
The chancellor announced that the furlough scheme would remain in place when the nationwide lockdown came to an end on December 2.
Mr Sunak said that the £1,000 job retention bonus for companies taking back furloughed workers, which was due to be paid out in January, would “fall away” as a result of the new announcement.
It represents a significant change in position from Mr Sunak, who previously said that furlough could not be extended “endlessly” as he sought to protect “viable” jobs. The job retention bonus was a significantly less generous scheme to support people to go back to
