Chancellor Rishi Sunak has extended the furlough scheme until March 2021.
This news comes on the back of England beginning it’s four week lockdown today (Thursday 5 November).
The BBC website said:
“The move follows several days of wrangling over the scope and duration of the furlough scheme. It was due to end on 31 October, but has already been extended to cover the four week lockdown in England.
“That announcement at the weekend sparked a row with Scotland and Wales, which argued that it was unfair for the full support package to be available only when England is in lockdown.
“They said the scheme – which currently guarantees 80% of wages up to £2,500 a month for people unable to work – should be on offer if they went into their own full national lockdowns later on.”
It is estimated that 9.6million people have benefitted from the furlough scheme since it was introduced in March 2020.
