The portal went live this morning and the government has said that the online system can process up to 450,000 applications an hour. We’ve already heard of successful claims and so it would seem that everything is working as it should be which is very reassuring for all those out there that will be accessing the portal in the coming days, weeks and months. Successful claimants should receive their funds within six working days of their applications.

The government has stated the scheme will cover up to 80% of furloughed workers' salaries, up to a maximum of £2,500 per month per employee and Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced that the scheme will now continue until the end of June, an extension of one month on its initial period and that he will keep the scheme under review and extend it if necessary.

This extension means that businesses making large scale redundancies will no longer be forced to issue redundancy notices over the next few to days to comply with 45-day consultation requirements, and can instead return to focusing on protecting jobs and their businesses.

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