Stabilize the auto industries. Be sure to wash cspans washington journal live at 7 00 eastern saturday morning. Join the discussion. British Prime MinisterBoris Johnson announced stricter measures of her london pubs and restaurants in response to the coronavirus pandemic. He was joined by the chancellor of the exchequer and deputy chief medical officer. P. M. Johnson yesterday, i said it will turn the tide and i will repeat that determination today. We are going to do it with testing, new medicines, Digital Technology that will help us see the disease added as it is transmitted and thereby and limiting it to stamp it out. Goingove all, now were to defeat this disease with a Huge National effort to slow the spread by reducing unnecessary social contact. And i want to thank everyone for following the guidance issued monday, for staying home if anyone in your household has any of the systems. And i know its been tough and inconvenient, but these actions were all taking together or helping to take the strain of day,an dbit by bit, day by by your actions, your restraint and your sacrifice, we are putting this country in a better and stronger position, where we will be able to save literally thousands of lives, of people of all ages, people who dont deserve to die, people whose lives can, must, and will be saved. And as we take these actions together and as we make the sacrifices, we can see the impact on the real economy already. Fantastic British Companies already under huge strain, big and small. Workers who are finding that their jobs under threat are going, through no fault of their own. And for all of them, we the government say we will stand by you. And i say that to companies. Remember our joint objective, to beat this virus. And we will do everything in our power to help. Rishi isst a minute, going to explain how were going to help workers of all kinds get through this crisis, supporting you directly in a way the government has never done before. In addition to the package that weve already set out for business. Measuresourse, these are intended, the steps that were taking, are intended to be temporary. And of course, i am confident that in time, the u. K. Economy is going to bounce back. Of course it is. But i must be absolutely clear with you. The speed of our eventual recovery depends entirely on our ability, our collective ability to get on top of the virus now. And that means we have to take the next steps on scientific advice and following our plan. We are strengthening the measures announced on monday, which you will room or. People have made a huge effort you will remember. People have made huge effort to comply on social contact. But we need to push down further on that curve of transmission between us. An agreementwing between all of the nations of the United Kingdom, all of the involved administrations, we are effectively telling cafes, pubs, bars, and restaurants to close. Tonight, as soon as they reasonably can, and not to open clear,w, though to be they can continue to provide take out services. Were also telling nightclubs, theaters, cinemas, gyms, and legislatures to close on the same timescale. Now, these are places where people come together and, indeed, the whole purpose, in many cases of these businesses, is to bring people together. But the sad thing is, im afraid today, for now, at least physically, we need to keep people apart. And i want to stress that we will review the situation each relax anyee if we can of these measures. And this leads to what i just said. Some people may be tempted to go out tonight. And i say to you, please dont. You may think that youre invincible, but there is no guarantee that you will get mild symptoms. And you could still be a carrier of the disease and pass it on to others. So thats why, as far as possible, we want you to stayathome. Thats how we can protect our nhs and save lives. Repeat, i know how difficult it is and it seems to go against the freedom loving instinct of the british people. And i also know, i also know how much, right now, workers and business deserve the financial reassurance that we are giving them. But we will get through this. We will get through it together, and we will beat this first. This verse. Enter rick this virus. And to ram that point home, to follow the advice were given, this country will stage a medical and economic recovery in full. Thank you very much. Im going to toss it now to rishi, who is going to explain the Financial Support for workers. Thank you, Prime Minister. Good afternoon. The economic intervention im announcing today is unprecedented in the history of the british state. Combined with our previous announcements on Public Services and business support, or planned economic response will be one of the most conference of in the world. Comprehensive in the world. Let me speak directly to peoples concerns. I know that people are worried about losing their jobs, about not being able to pay their rent or mortgage, about not having enough said bye for food and bills. I know that some people in the last few days have already lost her job. To all those at home right now, anxious about the days ahead, i say this. You will not face this alone. But getting through this will require a collective National Effort, with a role for everyone to play. Government. Nesses, its on all of us. , i amt our commitment today announcing a combination unprecedented as the government of this nation. Our plan with people with jobs and incomes will protect peoples jobs, offer more generous support to those without employment, strengthen the safety net for those who work for themselves, and help people say stay in their homes. The first part of our plan is to protect peoples jobs. This week, the government has taken unprecedented steps to fight the coronavirus. We have closed schools. We have told people to stayathome to prevent the spread of infection. We are now closing shops, restaurants, bars. Those steps are necessary to save lives. But we dont do this lightly. We know that these measures will have a significant Economic Impact. I have a responsibility to make sure that we protect, as far as possible, peoples jobs and incomes. Today, i can announce that for the first time in our history, the government is going to step in and help to pay peoples wages. Were setting up a new coronavirus jobs retention scheme. Any employer in the country, small or large, charitable or nonprofit, will be eligible for this scheme. Employers will be able to contact hmrc for a grant to cover most of the wages of people who are not working, but are furloughed and kept on payroll rather than being laid off. Government grants will cover 80 of the salary of retained 2,500s, up to a total of pounds a month, just over the median income. Of course, employers can top of salaries further if they choose to. That means workers in any part of the u. K. Can retain their jobs, even if their employer cannot afford to pay them, and be paid at least 80 of their salary. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will cover the cost of wages, backdated to march 1, and will be open initially for at least three months. And i will extend the scheme for longer, if necessary. I am placing no limit on the amount of funding available for this scheme. We will pay grants to support as many jobs as necessary. And can i put on record my thanks to the trades union congress, the cbi, and other business groups for our constructive conversation . We said we would stand together with the british people, and we meant it. We have never had a scheme in our country like this before, and were having to build our system from scratch. I can assure you that hmrc are working night and day to get this scheme up and running, and we expect the first grants to be wereithin weeks, and aiming to get it done before the end of april. But i know many businesses are hurting now. Ive already taken extraordinary measures to make cash available for businesses through loans, grants,. And guarantees. I can announce today that the coronavirus interruption loan scheme will not be interestfree, as previously planned, for six months. It would now be interestfree for 12 months. And thanks to the enormous efforts of our Critical Services sector, those loans will now be available starting on monday. And i will announce further measures next week, on top of those the governor and i have already taken to ensure that larger and mediumsize businesses can also access the credit they need. Im also announcing today for cash flow support through the cash tax system, to help businesses pay people and keep them in work, i am deferring the next quarter of vat payments. That means no business will pay in a vat from now until the end of june, and youll have until the end of the Financial Year to repay those bills. That is a direct injection of over 30 billion pounds of cash to businesses, equivalent to 1. 5 of gdp. Let me speak directly to businesses. I know its incredibly difficult at their. Out there. We, the government, are doing everything we can to support you. Were paying peoples wages up to 80 , so people can be further furloughed rather than laid off. Weve deferred taxes to the end of the year. Weve lended unlimited sums of money for 12 months. Were abolishing Business Rates if youre in hospitality, leisure. Bestovernment is doing its to stand behind you, and i am asking you to do your best to stand behind our workers. We are launching, in the coming days, a Major NationalAdvertising Campaign to communicate the available business support for businesses and people. Please look very carefully at that support before making any decisions to lay people off. Its on all of us. We are starting a great National Effort to protect jobs. But the truth is, we are already seeing job losses. And there may be more to come. Onennot promise you that no will face hardship in the weeks ahead. So we will also act to protect you if the worst happens, to strengthen the safety net, im increasing today the universal credit standard allowance for the next 12 months by 1000 pounds a year. For the next 12 months, im increasing the working tax credit basic element by the same amount, as well. Together, these measures will benefit over 4 million of our most vulnerable households. And im strengthening the safety net for selfemployed people, too, by suspending the minimum income flaw to anyone affected by the Economic Impact of coronavirus. That means selfemployed people can no access, and full, universal credit at a rate equivalent to statutory sick pay for employees. Taken together, im announcing nearly 7 billion pounds of extra support through the welfare system to strengthen the safety net and protect peoples incomes. And to support the selfemployed through the tax system, im also announcing today that the next selfassessment payment will be deferred to january, 2021. As well as keeping people in work and supporting those who lose their jobs or work for themselves, our plans for jobs and incomes will help keep a roof over your head. Weve acted already to make sure homeowners can get a three month mortgage holiday if they need it. Im announcing today nearly one billion pounds of support for renters by increasing the generosity of housing benefits and universal credit so that the local Housing Allowance will cover at least 30 of market rent in your area. Todaytions ive taken represent an unprecedented economic intervention to support the jobs and incomes of the british people. A new comprehensive Job Retention scheme, and a significantly strengthen safety net. Unprecedented measures for unprecedented times. Let me close with one final observation. Now, more than at any time in our history, we will be judged by our capacity for compassion. Thisbility to come through wont just be down to what governments or businesses to, but by individual acts of kindness that we show each other. The Small Business who does everything they can not to lay off their staff. The student who does a shop for their elderly neighbor. The retired nurse who volunteers to cover a shift in their local hospital. When this is over, and it will be over, we want to look back on this moment and remember the many small acts of kindness done by us and to us. We want to look back on this time and remember how without first of others we thought first of others and acted with decency. We want to look back on this time and remember how, in the space of a generation defining moment, we undertook a collective National Effort, and we stood together. Its on all of us. Thank you. P. M. Johnson thank you very much, rishi. Is there anything you wish to say at this stage . Perhaps you could help us field any questions from the scientific and medical point of view as they come. Can i get from the bbc . Thank you very much. The measures even us will have a significant impact, not just on business, but on peoples lives. Can you tell us what has changed that make you introduce these measures now . How long, if you can, do you see these measures lasting . And how do you plan to enforce them . And chancellor, if i may, you talk about unprecedented measures you are taking. How can you be sure they can cope to make sure these go to people who needed andy to quickly . And need it quickly . Thanks. P. M. Johnson what we are doing is enforcing what we said on monday. People made a huge effort in the last four or five days to comply. We saw a big reductions in people attending some pubs, a lot of pubs across the country. A lot of effort was made by people to reduce unnecessary social contact, as we said. The it was becoming clear, in order to drive that curve down, to reduce unnecessary social gatherings by 75 , which is what the science tells us we need to do to have an impact on that to be then we need now making absolutely clear that ere going to enforce these closures. Thats the pubs, bars, clubs, in addition to jims, Leisure Centers gyms, Leisure Centers, and so on. How are we going to enforce it . Clearly, there are Licensing Arrangements that will make it relatively simple to do, should that really be necessary. I think in reality, and we will enforce it strictly, but in reality, i think everybody can see the imperative of doing what is necessary, protecting our nhs and saving lives. Rishi . Yourelor sunak absolutely right to ask the question. When i was here earlier, is easy for me to stand here and announce things. But i want to make sure the help im announcing can get to the people that we want to benefit from it. And thats why, as we thought about what were doing, there are various ways to design job support, and there are various ways we can get money into our welfare system to strengthen the safety net. We have deliberately focused on scheme design and particular policies that we know are easy to operationalize quickly. And there are many ideas that people have on how to do all these things, and we been looking through all of them. But i would put on record my thanks to the staff of the hmrc and the department of work and retention. They themselves will be under enormous operating pressure, like all of us, every business. We specifically designed this scheme to work in a way that minimizes the operational complexity and similarly with the welfare interventions we made, we deliberately picked those that are the easiest and most straightforward and required the least manual intervention. P. M. Johnson thanks. Clarissa brandt, daily mail. Thank you, Prime Minister. Can we get two estates were nhs workers have to choose who to try and save because there to a stage where nhs workers have to choose to try who to save because there are not enough ventilators . P. M. Johnson on the first question about clinical judgments, doctors in the nhs, clinicians in the nhs, already make difficult judgments. But our objective and the chapters of the campaign the objectives of the campaign is that we flatten the curve, flatten the curve, but also that we lift up the line of nhs resilience and capabilities. That means theres a massive effort cover right now to ensure that we do have an of ventilators enough ventilators to cope. That is why its so vital that people follow the measures. As for mothers day, look, i think my advice would be that people should really think very carefully about, irrespective of their mothers, but any elderly person who may be in a vulnerable group. It doesnt matter if its only 70, the issue is whether they are in the vulnerable groups. Think very carefully about the risk of transmission of the virus, and follow the advice. Look at the medical advice. Our advice is that elderly people, people with serious Underlying Health conditions, people in the later stages of pregnancy, you have to be careful about the transmission of the virus. Will handle people the advice accordingly. In regular contact with all members of my family, but ill be working very hard on sunday. I can tell you that much. Ill certainly be sending them my very best wishes. Minister, theres been an escalation in the measures that you have been recommending, and ordering. Are we going to get to a stage where there are further members measures to transport people across the country . Enter the chancellor, will this wage for and to the chancellor, will this wage protection scheme apply to contracts . They do not have a set salary. How will their wages be determined and who will determine them . P. M. Johnson on transport, i dont know if you were here yesterday, transport is our fundamental ability to deliver vital Public Services. I was pretty clear we dont want, for instance, to immobilize the tube or our major transport network. Its just too important for the delivery of crucial Public Services. And andor sunak yes, those who are covered by the scheme, a covers everybody on the system through a company. Were publishing detailed garden shortly. Depending on your implement contract, it may be different depending on who you are, covers a variety of different situations, but it may well be you are on apy eez scheme and have a set of regular earnings, and will have it covered depen