Colum Eastwood asks Boris Johnson: How in under God will ordinary, decent workers survive on £227 a week?

Speaking in the British House of Commons on Wednesday he said: “By the weekend Northern Ireland will be in an effective lockdown. Under the Chancellor’s new furlough scheme starting in November, a minimum wage, full-time employee, a normal worker, would be entitled to £227 per week. “I doubt this Prime Minister could survive on that."

He asked: "How in under God does he expect ordinary, decent workers to survive on it?”

Mr. Johnson said replied: "I am proud of what the Government have done to raise the national living wage, which this Government introduced. What I can tell the hon. Gentleman is that whatever happens, a combination of the job support scheme and universal credit will mean that nobody gets less than 93 per cent of their current income."

Speaking after the exchange Mr. Eastwood said: “Last week, I wrote to Rishi Sunak outlining the need for an extension to the furlough scheme as the most basic step in a robust programme of interventions needed to protect workers and businesses in areas with new restrictions.”

“Whilst I welcome the British Chancellor’s U-turn after weeks of British Government Ministers refusing to admit that this is the only way to save jobs, the financial support for minimum-wage workers is not good enough.”

“The British government must urgently provide better support for our workers who are unable to carry out their job and must now avail of the furlough scheme.”