The Government is considering cutting the proportion of workers' wages it pays under the Covid-19 furlough scheme from 80% to 60%.
The initiative now supports the wages of 6.3million employees, almost a quarter of Britain's private-sector workforce, who have temporarily stopped work at a cost of around £8billion.
In total, it's estimated to cost the Treasury £30billion, with Chancellor Rishi Sunak warning it's costing the Government similar levels to the NHS.
The support is due to stop at the end of June, after being extended by a month already. Finance minister Rishi Sunak said on Monday there would be no sudden cliff-edge in June but that he was looking at the best way to phase the scheme out and ease people back to work "in a measured