McKenna calls for extended furlough

Frank McKenna, chief executive of business lobby group Downtown in Business, says the government must do more to support businesses affected by the ongoing lockdown.

He cites the 700,000 jobs lost so far as unacceptable and says the problem is only set to get worse. As an example, there has been a spike in cancellations among hotel groups and no-shows for restaurant bookings while the 'rule of six' remains unclear to a significant portion of the public.

Frank has now backed the calls by MP Andy Burnham to extend the furlough scheme, which is scheduled to end on October 31, to businesses who remain affected by the government's guidelines.