Nearly 2.5million Brits still on furlough as bill reaches £66billion

NEARLY 2.5 million Brits are still on furlough as the scheme winds down — with the total bill reaching £66billion.

But the number has halved in three months as Britain reopened.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak last night faced calls to extend furlough yet again or face sky-high unemployment.

But ministers said it was right to start to wean businesses off the support scheme after 18 months.

Business Sec Kwasi Kwarteng hit back: “The furlough was an exceptional policy in extreme times, in unprecedented times, and it was always the case that furlough was going to come to an end at some point.”

It came as new furlough rules kicked in which will force employers to pay 10 per cent of the furlough cash as the Chancellor winds in Government aid.

Nearly nine million were being paid by the state at the height of the pandemic, but the furlough scheme will end totally at the end of September.

Labour claimed 450,000 firms faced a £225million hit. GMB union boss Gary Smith added: “Ending furlough too quickly could kill a recovery.”