Government's furlough scheme now open

The portal for Government's furlough scheme has now opened.

The scheme was announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak as part of the Government's response to the outbreak of Covid-19.

It allows employers to grant staff temporary leave of absence while claiming 80% of their salary, up to a maximum of £2,500 per month.

HMRC which runs the portal has been told to expect more than 450,000 applications per hour from employers.