How the UK furlough scheme compares with other countries

A German scheme is more generous and allows staff to work part-time while France pays 70% of gross salary

The chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has announced that the UK's job retention scheme - under which the state now pays 80% of the gross wages (up to a 2,500 per month maximum) of one in four UK workers - is to be extended until the end of October.

Sunak also said that employers would be asked to contribute towards the 14bn a month cost of the scheme, and that it would soon allow part-time work to help businesses reboot their trade.