Martin Lewis has made an important confirmation regarding the furlough scheme this morning ahead of the upcoming national lockdown.
Taking to Twitter to address the public, Mr Lewis – of leading finance advice platform MoneySavingExpert.com – confirmed that those who have been made redundant in recent weeks can actually be rehired and then furloughed by their employer if they were employed as of 23rd September and on the payroll on or before 30th October.
He indicated that this confirmation “won’t work for many, but may be worth asking for some”.
It comes after it is speculated that a significant number of workers across the UK have been made redundant from their jobs over the past month or so as companies prepared for the furlough scheme to come to an end on 31st October.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak confirmed that the furlough scheme will be extended for a further month during the announcement of the four-week national lockdown in England, which will be voted on in Parliament on Wednesday and is expected to take effect from 0.01 GMT on Thursday 5th November.
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The furlough scheme will continue to cover 80% of employees’ wages.
CONFIRMED: If you've been made redundant, you can be rehired and furloughed by your employer if you were employed as of 23 Sept, and on the payroll on or before 30 Oct.
It won't work for many, but many be worth asking for some.
As well as providing initial confirmation of the redundancy re-hiring loophole, Martin Lewis then also offered further clarification on a number of questions members of the public were frequently posing to him.
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In a follow-up tweet, Mr Lewis wrote: “Just to answer a few common questions on this,
1. Can the firm refuse? Yes it can, furlough is always at the firm’s discretion.
2. I’m new to the firm can I be furloughed? Yes if you were on payroll by 30 October.
3. I was furloughed then taken off it, can I be furloughed again? Yes.”
He also then clarified that the furlough scheme is “currently UK wide” and not just applicable to England, but emphasised that the rules differ within each devolved administration.
A futher furlough clarification. Many mistakenly thinking furlough is only for Eng. It's not. The scheme is currently UK wide.
The confusion is as Sturgeon is (understandbly) arguing eg if england ends its lockdown and scotland starts one, can furlough continue just for Scot.
More information regarding the extension of the furlough scheme ahead of the national lockdown can be found via the MoneySavingExpert website here.
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Home Bargains has announced a special two-day closure of all UK stores
Emily Sergeant
Home Bargains has, once again, announced it’ll be closing all its UK stores on both Boxing Day and New Year’s Day this year.
And it’s to make sure staff get a ‘well deserved break’.
After what has been yet another busy year for the retail industry, many workers have been left feeling like they could do with a little extra time off, which is why Home Bargains is following on with what has become a now-annual tradition by shutting up shop on two bank holidays.
All of our stores will be closing for Boxing Day & New Years Day.
Announcing the move in a post on social media, the discount retailer confirmed: “All of our stores will be closing for Boxing Day and New Years Day. We would like to thank all our colleagues for how hard you have worked this past year, and want you to relax and enjoy the Christmas break with your loved ones.”
Of course, this isn’t the first time the retailer has kept its doors shut on bank holidays.
Many shoppers will recall it has made the same decision to give hardworking staff a break every year since 2019.
Explaining a little more about the decision taken to close all its stores, Home Bargains said: “As a family-run business, we know the importance of being together at Christmas with those we care about most, now more than ever.
“This is our way of saying thank you to our colleagues for their continued hard work and dedication.”
Featured Image – Geograph
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Two Greggs in Manchester will be serving their breakfast menu in the evening next week
Emily Sergeant
Who says breakfast has to end at 11am?
In news that’s set to be music to the ears of breakfast lovers in Manchester, Greggs is giving them exactly what they want.
We all know that brunch is a ‘thing’ by now, so now it’s time for brinner to make a name for itself instead, as Greggs has teamed up with Heinz to bring its much-loved breakfast menu back for tea time, kicking off from 4pm onwards.
The move comes as a new survey has found that the majority of Mancs (69%) admit to enjoying eating breakfast food in the evening, saying it’s ‘convenient and comforting’ – even ranking breakfast as a ‘more important’ meal than tea, as well (38% vs 36%).
Two Greggs in Manchester will be serving their breakfast menu in the evening next week / Credit: Greggs (Supplied)
Greggs says it has ‘lost count’ of the amount of customers that have tried to order breakfast items after the usual cut-off time, especially in Greater Manchester.
But luckily for those breakfast-loving Mancs, they can finally get their favourite breakfast and sauce pairing long after the morning rush is over next… but only at two Greggs branches, and only for a very limited time.
On Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 October, the Heinz x Greggs Brinner collab will be available at Greggs St Mary’s Gate and Greggs Oxford Road, from 4-7pm only.
“We’ve lost count of the number of customers who have tried their luck ordering breakfast after 11am, so when Heinz came to us with the idea of making Brinner a reality, it felt like the perfect excuse to give the people what they want,” explained Zoe Harris, who is the Customer Director at Greggs.
“And let’s be honest, a Greggs Bacon Roll just wouldn’t be the same without a squeeze of Heinz Tomato Ketchup.”
Emily Sergeant -
3rd November 2020 
