It is being reported today that Chancellor Rishi Sunak is looking set to extend the furlough scheme and business rate relief until the summer.
According to the Financial Times and the Telegraph, Mr Sunak is expected to announce in his Budget next month that the UK government’s Coronavirus Jobs Retention Scheme – dubbed furlough, which has been supporting employees unable to work during the COVID-19 pandemic by paying 80% of wages up to £2,500 a month – is now to be phased out from autumn, rather than the current date of 30th April.
It’s also been reported that he is expected to announce that the year-long business rates holiday for the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors, will also continue beyond the previous end-date of 31st March.
Mr Sunak will again issue his final report on a review of business rates in the autumn instead.
These two expected announcements will come as a relief for employers and staff who are at present unsure as to exactly when their businesses will be allowed to welcome back customers again amid England’s current third national lockdown.
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The reports also appear to indicate that some job support is still set to stay in place even after the furlough scheme ends, as well as an emergency £20-a-week increase in Universal Credit expected to be extended by six months, and The Treasury is also said to be considering tax increases in an effort to balance the books, with the UK’s budget deficit predicted to hit £394 billion this financial year.
The most significant tax increases are not expected to be tackled until the November Budget however, when it is hoped the UK has emerged from lockdowns.
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Speaking ahead of Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Budget announcement next month, A Treasury spokesperson said: “We’ve already extended our furlough scheme through to April so that people have certainty that help is in place [and] we will continue to invest in protecting and creating jobs through the remainder of the pandemic and through the recovery.
“We will set out further details via the next stage of our Plan for Jobs at the upcoming Budget.”
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For the latest information, guidance and support during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the UK, please do refer to official sources at gov.uk/coronavirus.
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Man jailed following series of ‘violent’ knife attacks in Wigan town centre last summer
Emily Sergeant
A man has been sentenced this week following a series of ‘violent’ knife attacks in Wigan town centre last summer.
Charles McMurray, of Satchel Close in Wigan, appeared at Bolton Crown Court yesterday where he pleaded guilty to multiple counts of Section 18 wounding with intent, threatening a person with a bladed article, and threats to kill following a distressing incident in Wigan town centre last summer.
The court heard that McMurray arrived on Wallgate at around 6:33am on 9 August 2025 before entering a taxi office, where he stabbed two men without warning.
The victims fled, and McMurray pursued them towards the town centre.
McMurray then went on to threaten a passer‑by at Wigan bus station and held a knife to the man’s stomach. A short time later, he located the injured victims on Standishgate and assaulted one of them again. Following that assault, he chased after another member of the public with the knife shouting that he was going to kill him.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officers arrived shortly after 6:50am and found McMurray in possession of the knife, before he was subsequently quickly arrested at the scene.
McMurray has now been sentenced to nine years and nine months behind bars, which police say is a ‘testament to the brave victims’ who gave their accounts.
Speaking following McMurray’s sentencing this week, Detective Constable Harris from Wigan CID, who led the investigation, said: “This was an entirely unprovoked attack which left multiple victims requiring hospital treatment. McMurray is a dangerous and violent offender who is now safely behind bars.
“Knives have no place on our streets, and we hope today’s sentence shows just how seriously we take knife crime. Our communities should feel safe where they live and work, and we are committed to tackling knife crime to ensure no family has to face their loved ones being harmed.
“It is a testament to the brave victims who not only endured this attack but had the courage to provide detailed accounts together with the impact this has had on them, that we have been able to ensure McMurray has been brought to justice.”
Featured Image – GMP
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Family pay tribute to father-of-two killed in Rochdale plane crash
Daisy Jackson
The family of a man killed in a light aircraft crash in Rochdale have paid tribute to a ‘deeply loving father and devoted husband’.
36-year-old Arian Abbasi was one of two men killed when an aircraft crashed into farmland in Littleborough in Rochdale last week, after travelling from Birmingham.
Emergency services rushed to the scene shortly after 11am on Tuesday 3 February, but sadly pronounced both men dead at the scene.
It’s believed there was no one else on board the aircraft, and there were no reported injuries on the ground.
Now, Arian’s family have issued a moving tribute to him. He was a pilot from Harrow in Greater London.
They described him as being a ‘deeply loving’ family man, whose passion was flying.
He was about to embark on a new chapter with a commercial airline in just a few weeks’ time.
His family said: “He lived his life for his family and friends, giving them his constant love, strength, and support.
“Flying was his passion, and he was on the brink of beginning an exciting new chapter with a commercial airline on 23 February; a dream he had worked toward with immense pride and determination.”
GMP investigations are now focused on finding part of the parachute system which contains propellant and hasn’t yet been located.
Finding the device has been ‘very difficult’ due to the nature of the terrain and the wide area over which it may have travelled.
It measures approximately 10 cm in diameter and 30 cm long and has a red anodised finish. It weighs less than 2 kg. It may have a silver metal collar attached at one end.
GMP said: “Please do not handle the device if you see it. If discovered, contact the police immediately via 101 or our Live Chat at gmp.police.uk, quoting log 1056 of 03/02/26.”
The Manc -
19th February 2021 
