The Chancellor said on Thursday that he extended the furlough scheme because things could change in easing of the current national lockdown.
The furlough scheme has been extended for a further six months until the end of September, which was done to accommodate “cautious views” of when lockdown could be over.
This has raised thoughts that the Prime Minister could decide push back the 21 June end date for lockdown.
Rishi Sunak was asked on Good Morning Britain why he extended the furlough beyond June on Wednesday’s Spring Budget.
Sunak said, “We did that for a couple of reasons. I wanted people to have the reassurance that we were “going long”, beyond the end of the road map, because of course things might change.
“We wanted to accommodate even the most cautious view of exiting from the restrictions, hopefully that won’t happen, we are making great progress, and thanks to everyone involved in the vaccination drive for making that possible.
“But it is also important to remember that, just because the restrictions end, businesses will still need to take time to recover, things will take a bit of time to get back to the way they were, so I think it is important to provide that extra cushion.”
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