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Latest updates: scheme will be reviewed in January to see if employers should contribute more; Sturgeon says tough action starting to have an effectSunak extends Covid furlough until end of March 2021Exclusive: Alok Sharma met Prince Charles after staffer’s Covid resultFamily plead for care home rule change after daughter’s arrestMinister blames public for second English lockdownGlobal coronavirus updates – live 2.24pm GMT The UK’s...

The catastrophe facing the UK is a direct result of our government’s obsession with libertarian issues. Now we must avoid repeating the same mistakesCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageSix weeks ago, the government was given a stark warning that the nation faced a “very large epidemic with catastrophic consequences”. Only by imposing an immediate two-week “circuit breaker” lockdown could it hope to...

Review finds testing flaws meant support went to many workers who lost no income but not to others who hadRishi Sunak’s flagship scheme to help the self-employed through the pandemic has handed £1.3bn to workers who saw no loss of income while giving nothing to 500,000 people left without work, new analysis has revealed.In a sign of major flaws in the £12.7bn self-employment income...

Covid measures are designed to help businesses forced to close their doors over the winterCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageHospitality businesses in the north of England have said they will struggle to survive on the new support package unveiled by the chancellor if they are forced into weeks of local lockdowns.Carol Ross, the landlady of the Roscoe Head pub in Liverpool, said...

The chancellor says the coronavirus job retention scheme will be extended for four months, until the end of October. There will be no changes until the end of July, he says,  and in August, September and October it will continue with more flexibility. Sunak added that 7.5m jobs have been supported by the furlough scheme and almost 1m businesses helpedCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all...