Boris Johnson and chancellor Rishi Sunak are working on a pre-Budget “recovery plan” outlining medium term proposals to boost investment and skills as the UK emerges from the coronavirus crisis.
The plan will be published in the week starting February 22, said government officials, as the prime minister releases a “road map” out of the current Covid-19 lockdown in England and starts to set out proposals to rebuild the economy.
Mr Sunak will use his March 3 Budget to provide more details of his medium term strategy and what he hopes will be the final phase of the emergency government support for the economy that has so far cost £280bn.
State support programmes for companies and households are currently due to expire at the end of March or — in the case of the furlough scheme the end of April — and Mr Sunak is expected to use his Budget to extend them until the economy is able to reopen.
“Rishi is expecting this to be the last time he talks about the…
