Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said –

“Many of our businesses are already struggling for survival, and the announcement today will add to their worry and anxiety. The planned reduction in financial support at the end of June could now have dire consequences for jobs and livelihoods, pushing more businesses in sectors such as culture, nightlife and hospitality to the brink of collapse.

“The Government must now act urgently to extend economic support to all businesses who need it – including extending the full business rates holiday, the evictions moratorium and the existing furlough scheme until all restrictions are lifted. 

“It’s also important that ministers continue to accelerate the rollout of the vaccines so that restrictions can be lifted as soon as possible. Every person who gets the vaccine and continues to follow the rules will take us a step closer to the full re-opening we all desperately want to see.” Photo by Joe D, Wikimedia commons.