BORIS JOHNSON was condemned by MPs today for using “sickening” and “pathetic” deflection to avoid saying whether the furlough scheme and evictions ban will be extended.

Think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) estimated that up to nine million jobs and 600,000 firms could be at risk if the employment support scheme is not extended beyond April 30.

The government has been urged to prolong the use of furlough while new Covid variants continue to spread in Britain and non-essential businesses are forced to remain closed.