Speaking in the House of Commons today, Sunak said the scheme would not be altered until the end of July. He said from August, the government would expect employers of furloughed staff to make a contribution to their pay.

The chancellor introduced the scheme in March with the government contributing up to 80% of a furlough employee’s salary or up to £2,500 a month until the end of June.

He said since announcing the scheme, 7.5 million people have been furloughed on it from almost 1 million businesses.