BAN FURLOUGHS TO TAX AVOIDERS

BORIS Johnson is under mounting pressure to ban bosses who avoid UK taxes from getting bailouts.

Opposition parties, churches and charities want the PM to copy France, Denmark and Poland who deny state aid to tax-dodging firms.

Labour leader Keir Starmer, right, said: “It’s not good enough for companies to extpect bailouts while failing to support workers or pay tax they owe.”

Lib Dem MP Layla Moran added: “I’m calling on the Government to only give support to companies who commit to leaving their tax havens, moving back to the UK for tax purposes and contributing their fare share from now on.”

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby says vulnerable people “pay the price” of an underfunded NHS while large companies make “huge profits yet hide their wealth in tax havens”.

But when challenged on the issue in

Sunak is also under pressure to change furlough rules so bosses can let staff work some hours – like other countries. At present, workers get up to £2,500 a month but cannot do any work. Think tank Reform wants the scheme tailored so staff can gradually return to work and still get support. The group’s Aidan Shilson-Thomas said: “It may not be flexible enough as the economy slowly begins to restart.” Germany pays up to 60 per cent of net wages to compensate for reduced hours.

In Canada, employees share reduced hours and are compensated for those lost. Sweden cuts hours to different percentage levels with matching support. Rules are also inflexible for charities whose workers are often also volunteers.