NEW starters left out of the government’s coronavirus job-retention scheme feel they’ve been written off as “collateral damage,” campaigners said today.

Thousands of workers who started new jobs in February and April have fallen through the cracks of the scheme, which allows employers to claim a grant covering 80 per cent of the wages of a furloughed worker up to a maximum of £2,500 per month.

Initially, workers could only qualify for the scheme if they had been on the payroll since February 28. After a backlash, the Treasury extended the cut-off date to March 19.