This is a breakthrough. @RishiSunak has shown real leadership. We’re glad he's listened to unions and taken vital steps to support working families. Employers can now be confident they'll be able to pay their wage bills. They must urgently reassure staff that their jobs are safe.

— Frances O'Grady (@FrancesOGrady) March 20, 2020

We've got a similar measure here. However, I  would be extremely reluctant to spend any of my VAT money on anything other than VAT. If I do, what happens if I have no money in July to pay the deferred VAT.

I am very impressed, though, with Sunak's proposal to pay 80% of staff wages. I hope that our government beefs up its proposals in this regard. Otherwise, I will have to lay off people soon.

It could be a good time to develop a little humanity and at the same time deal with the instant self gratification associated with alcohol addiction.

To an extent some of the other measures needed the financial safety net to be announced first, to avoid unnecessary anxiety amongst those facing no work for weeks/months to come. Arguably the government has been at least week too slow but I think you do need public opinion to be behind the measures and this week's news from here and elsewhere has underlined the seriousness of the challenge; something that has clearly escaped a portion of the population until now.

Ok, since we are still allowed to go outside as much as we want,  people will find a way to congregate, perhaps in the supermarkets where they can tool up with booze and then go and find somewhere to drink it

I'll raise a pint to that.

Is this a typo or some sort of joke?

That's good to see. Working together to make the best policy decisions.

👍👍

We will apparently have until the end of the year to pay it back but I take your point.

A perfect encapsulation of all that's wrong with the selfish attitude of a minority.

Pathetic.

I wish all those that put their short-term personal wants first could be identified and told there would be no place for them in hospital if they fall ill with Covid-19.  Maybe that message would get through their thick heads.

Stay classy, Croydon

Agree with this. The measures announced by Sunak are good. However, things are now moving so quickly I think this time next week a lot of today's announcements could be superseded.

I am certain that additional measures will be put in place come December if this is still on-going.  The government is doing this to help with cash flow and it would make no sense to end it abruptly if there is still a need to support the cash flow of business in nine months' time.

@Gavin - Are the number of deaths today correct. The number was higher on the news earlier.

@Brian - So much for the 10k tests. You'l notice these were released after the press conference. So much for the 10k per day. Yesterday he was going on about 250K

You cant expect people, especially the young to stay indoors. People get bored and need fresh air. If you live in a big house with a garden its easier, but for the millions who live in flats etc, as long as they are still allowed to go out, they will, and they will go to the places that are still open - supermarkets, even just to chill out

👍👍

Do you think they can just magically go to 10k per day overnight?

I worry that some of yesterday's "8000" tests were actually taken from today. It seems odd that we've gone from 8000 down to 2300 in a day. 

Has Tim Martin announced that all Wetherspoons 'pubs' will be reclassified as *takeaways* where you can have a pint or two while you wait 4 or 5 hours for a portion of 'chips'?

— Ox E Moron (@oxymoronictimes) March 20, 2020

You can see why Boris is more popular than Jesus. A rare thing for a politician to be both Teflon and have the Midas touch. He can get away with lying, philandering, aborting his own unwanted foetuses, wasting public money, undermining democracy,  and they still love him

Amazing. I take my hat off to him. He is the modern day Henry VIII or Emperor Nero

Send the [censored]some faeces so they can apply their toilet rolls to it. 

Don't joke, A lot of his pubs have outside seating. I don't know how the rules will be enforced so he could sell takeaway beer in sealed plastic cups

Also the positive tests have increased from ~6% to ~20% overnight. Either something is very badly wrong or the virus has just exploded. I suppose another explanation is most of the tests were done in hot spots but that also seems questionable. My conclusion is one of:

1) NHS incompetence - I know from experience that tests can go missing, be duplicated or be garbage and need redoing

2) The UK death count is about to go through the roof 

Well this guy is the next Prime Minister pic.twitter.com/nDILKjg9fT

— Jeremy Vine (@theJeremyVine) March 20, 2020

As he was so belligerent  WRT complying with the sane requests  to voluntarily close I'm sure he will try something "weasely".  If he does, I sincerely hope the local authorities concerned won't hesitate to remove his licence to operate if at all possible - the bloke is a pillock of the first order