Chancellor to unveil emergency package aimed at protecting jobs and wages during fight against coronavirus

Rishi Sunak has been under pressure from Labour, unions and senior Tory MPs to do more to help workers and the stalling economy weather the crisis.

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He is to reveal new measures today at the daily Covid-19 press conference in Downing Street, where he is expected to be joined by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

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The Prime Minister said he expects the tide to be turned in the fight against coronavirus within 12 weeks, but urged the public to follow social distancing advice and for businesses to ‘stand by your employees’.

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Health Secretary Matt Hancock later admitted he could not live on statutory sick pay, but suggested an improvement could come with fresh measures to tackle the coronavirus crisis.

The Cabinet minister bluntly dismissed the prospect with a ‘no’ when he was asked on BBC's Question Time if he could get by on the sum of £94.25 per week.

But he suggested more on the subject could come in the Chancellor's latest emergency package.

Mr Sunak's £350 billion support package two days earlier was focused on businesses, with little help for staff facing the prospect of being laid off and unable to pay the bills.

Today’s fresh measures to help workers could also aid in the fight to reduce the spread of the disease itself, with fears workers may not self-isolate with Covid-19 symptoms over fears of a financial blow.

The PM on Thursday told the nation he is ‘absolutely confident that we can send coronavirus packing in this country’, and the tide can be turned within the next 12 weeks.

But he implied that this is only if the public heeds the social distancing guidance, saying: “I know it's tough, I know it's difficult... but please, please follow the advice.”

The coronavirus death toll in the UK had reached 144 as of 1pm yesterday.

The death toll in Italy rose to 3,405, overtaking the total number of deaths so far registered in China.