Furlough scheme to be extended for an extra month, Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced

Kate Forbes, the Scottish government finance secretary, called out the Chancellor for committing no new funds to deal with the latest lockdown as the Treasury trumpeted emergency support for businesses. Sunak laid out plans for an extra £4.6 billion in business support on Tuesday including £375 million for the Scottish government to distribute.

amid the latest lockdown to hit both towns.A total of 600,000 businesses across Britain are expected to be supported by the move, at a cost of £4 billion, in a bid to help them survive the prospect of remaining closed over the coming weeks, with the lockdown in mainland Scotland set to run until at least the end of this month.Meanwhile, a further £594 million will be made available to councils and devolved nations to help businesses not covered by these grants.Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: “The

lockdown measures.

link.“Please stay at home as much as possible and avoid non-essential interactions with other households.”She added: “We, like other countries, are in a race between this faster spreading strain of Covid and the vaccination programme.

direct to your inboxRochdale's club doctor has called on the football season to be halted as cases of coronavirus rise.Dr Wes Tensel spoke out as a number of football clubs including Rochdale and Manchester City have had matches called off after positive cases were revealed.Dr Tensel, who also works as a GP, said he believes the season should be postponed, as more clubs are hit by outbreaks.“This is my opinion as a doctor," he told the PA news agency."Some people will disagree, some won’t, this

described the move as disingenuous, dangerous and difficult.It was a real low point of the year for those in the industry, and set the tone for a year of restrictions and measures that would disproportionately impact the sector.Four days later, on March 20, hospitality venues were officially ordered to close and chancellor Rishi Sunak unveiled the furlough scheme that millions have relied upon this year.It was another three days before the UK was officially placed into full lockdown, with Brits

direct to your inboxHome workers who have saved heavily during the pandemic would need to get spending next year to boost the economy, the Chancellor has said.Rishi Sunak's comments came as the parliament's spending watchdog warned nearly three million people may have been excluded from two schemes to support the employed and self-employed.

Jacob Roloff’s wife, Isabel Sofia Rock, showed her support after he claimed he was molested as a child while filming Little People, Big World.“When Jacob and I started dating, I got a taste of what being in the public eye means,” the artist, 24, wrote via Instagram on Saturday, December 19.

Catherine Tyldesley has written and stars in her first ever comedy play this Christmas as her way of giving back to the struggling arts community during the pandemic.