Job retention scheme expensive, should end by October: UK FM Rishi Sunak

Asked by a lawmaker in parliament whether the scheme would end in October, Sunak said: “Of course we will keep everything under review, but my expectation is by then the scheme should end.”

Britain’s coronavirus job retention scheme is expensive and cannot continue indefinitely, finance minister Rishi Sunak said on Tuesday after announcing the government would extend it by four months to October.

Britain's Chancellor Rishi Sunak holds a digital coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news conference with Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr Jenny Harries (not pictured) at 10 Downing Street, in London, Britain March 26, 2020. (via REUTERS)

Asked by a lawmaker in parliament whether the scheme would end in October, Sunak said: “Of course we will keep everything under review, but my expectation is by then the scheme should end.”

“We have stretched and strained to be as generous as possible to businesses and workers ... this scheme is expensive. It is the right thing to do - the cost of not acting would have been far higher - but it is not something that can continue indefinitely into the future.”