Boris Johnson said he realized that people were weary and fed up, but there was light at the end of the tunnel.

Non essential shops have all now shut pubs and restaurants can only serve takeaways on did.

In an unexpected move, the chancellor, Richie Soon AC, announced that the U.

K's furlough scheme for those temporarily laid off has been extended until the end of March to give more support for workers facing yet mawr uncertainty.

The fellow scheme will now apply to the whole of the UK For the next five months, the government will pay 80% of wages for hours, not worked for employees affected by the pandemic.

For those who are self employed, support has been extended to a similar level.

It's been increased to 80% of average profits until January.

Here's our deputy political editor, Vicky Young.

They tried to open up the economy, but once again the shutters have come down across England and now emergency bailouts have become long term support.

Government helping to pay the wages of millions of people for a whole year.

But today, the prime minister insisted there was light.

At the end of the tunnel across the whole of United Kingdom, people are engaged in a huge joint effort to put the coronavirus back in its box.

I know that many of you are anxious, weary and, quite frankly, fed up with the very mention of this virus.

But I want to assure you this is not a repeat.

Off the spring, the chancellor was lending a hand at a housing development.

He's been saying it's timeto wind down the furlough scheme, not build it up again.

Lineup.

But Richie Soon AC has gone from eat out to help out Thio eating his words.

Political opponents have chosen to attack the government for trying to keep the economy functioning and to make sure the support we provide encourages people to keep working.

But to anyone in the real world, that's just the thing you have to do when the circumstances changed.

There have been several versions of the chancellor's support plan in recent weeks.

Labor said the furlough scheme should have been extended sooner.

The delay had cost jobs and livelihoods.

The chancellor can change his mind at the last minute, Mr Speaker, but businesses can't.

We need a chancellor who is in front of the problems we face.

Not one who's always a step behind on the first minister of Scotland said uncertainty over wage support had had dire consequences.

Unfortunately, because many businesses on workers expected the furlough, the existing for the scheme to end at the end of October.

And I know people in the circum, we all know people in the circumstance.

It made people redundant, and I think that is deeply regrettable.

The seats are empty at this hair salon in Cardiff, Wales, in the middle of a two week locked down, so owner Helen has put her staff back on furlough.

The news today is Bean in one way, a big relief, knowing that we'll have the backing going forward, which is a huge help.

But it also what does that mean?

You know, extending it to march?

Does that mean we're in for more lockdowns?

You know, we're going to be on this total roller coaster open close.

You criticize political opponents who called for the furlough scheme to be extended and now you've done it.

What do you say to those who've lost their jobs?

Because you didn't provide that certainty earlier.

We need to look alternative systems of support to encourage the economy to keep moving, to get people back into employment.

That was why the job support system, the J.

S S, was developed in a different package of measures.

But now, as we face, is this autumn surge.

Its right to to go to follow on.

That's what we're doing.

The chancellor has spent hundreds of billions of pounds propping up the economy during this pandemic.

But after being accused of ignoring the needs of workers in northern English cities Wales and Scotland, he's now come up with even Mawr, another huge financial commitment stretching into next year.

That's reassuring for many, but others worry about the longer term implications for the economy.

The brief optimism of the summer has faded quickly.