As it happened: Furlough extended until March

It's been another busy day, here's a recap of the day's main headlines:

• Boris Johnson has stressed that people in England should stay at home, adding that the second national lockdown would make a "real impact" on the virus
• Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced the furlough scheme for workers will be extended until March 2021
• The government has been criticised for the way it presented data to justify England's second lockdown by the official statistics watchdog, who said there needed to be more transparency
• Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says tougher restrictions in the country are starting to have an effect
• Elsewhere, Greece has announced a second lockdown will come into effect from Saturday and remain in place for three weeks
• And France has reported its record number of daily infections with 58,046 new cases over the last 24 hours

There was lots of talk in the press conference about the importance of testing and tracing.

Billions of pounds have been spent on developing the testing system and employing contact tracers.

But real concern among councils about the lack of support provided to people who are asked to self-isolate.

Only those on very low incomes are entitled to £500 support payments. It means people from all walks of life from self-employed to contractors and people on zero-hours contracts are financially penalised if they play by the rules.

That’s why, many say, so few self-isolate fully – fewer than one in five, according to some estimates.

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Travellers returning to the UK from Germany and Sweden from 04:00 GMT on Saturday must self-isolate for two weeks, the transport secretary has announced.

The two countries are the latest to be removed from the travel corridor list for the whole of the UK.

While holidays are currently banned for people living in England and Wales, work trips are still permitted.

So what are the current quarantine rules for travellers?

Closing the press conference, Boris Johnson says that "alas", he is once again going to have to ask people to "stay at home" in an effort to control the virus.

But he adds that the country is in a "far, far better position" to weather the impact of the second wave of the virus, compared with during the first lockdown.

In the final question, a reporter asks about the backlog in non-Covid related testing in hospitals - with more than 1.2m people waiting for tests.

Asked if he will provide the funding to bring in the staff and kit to carry out the tests, Johnson says there has "never been greater investment in the NHS than under this government".

And he says it will continue with more staff recruitment.

Sir Simon agrees that there needs to be an expansion in capacity for testing other health issues, and talks of moving scanners onto the high street.

But he says waiting lists have not reached the 10 million warning from the summer.

He adds: "One small silver lining of the commitment and sacrifice of NHS staff [during Covid] is they have inspired a new generation of young people to become nurses, doctors and therapists of the future."

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Sir Simon Stevens is asked how confident he is the lockdown will relieve pressures on the NHS quickly enough to allow the measures to lift.

In reply, he says they are "hoping and expecting" not to see the "large" increase in admissions that had been predicted by scientists if no lockdown were imposed.

The prime minister is asked whether the government will hand control of the struggling test-and-trace system over to local authorities - currently is is being run by private firms.

Boris Johnson admits the tracing scheme "hasn't had as much impact as we would have wanted" - but insists it has had some effect in slowing the spread of the virus.

He says it "has taken too long" for people to get test results - but this is improving, he says.

He says mass testing is a "really promising" development that could remove the need for people to self-isolate.

Shunning projections that have proved so controversial, NHS England chief executive Sir Simon Stevens has tried to play it straight.

He presents a chart showing how the numbers in hospital have gone up since the summer with more than 11,000 in hospital in England.

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He then provides some important context – comparing that with the numbers in hospital with flu – about 3,000 in the depths of winter – or getting treatment for cancer, normally 7,000.

The context is important – and shows the burden Covid is placing on the health service. But two things that were not shown were the numbers in hospital at the peak in the spring – 17,000 – or the number of free beds, thought to be 15,000 to 20,000.

We don’t know the latter because NHS bosses are not publishing them. An important point on the day that the UK Statistics Authority calls for greater transparency over the way Covid data is presented.

Next up, a reporter asks about a letter from the UK Statistics Authority which questioned the data presented to the public, saying it had the potential to confuse people.

The PM says the government is "trying to make things as clear as we possibly can".

He admits that projections "vary widely" and scientists can disagree, so it is up to government to make "political judgements".

Johnson says it is "very, very tough to make exactly the right call" but some of the data, such as the number of deaths, was "irrefutable".

He adds: "I can't quarrel with those data and we have to act on those data."

Christmas is becoming a big theme in the coronavirus press conferences.

Boris Johnson has just struck an optimistic tone – saying if people follow the rules, as normal a Christmas as possible will be on the cards.

The four governments of the UK have also agreed to work together on a common strategy. But some are more pessimistic – and believe big family gatherings are unlikely this year.

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Asked whether restrictions will have to continue over the New Year, Sir Simon Stevens says this will depend on whether the infection rate comes down over the next month.

The NHS England chief executive says the success of controlling the disease will be a "force multiplier" in helping the NHS provide ordinary care.

The PM is also asked whether he would be able to extend restrictions given opposition to them from the Conservative backbenchers.

The PM repeats that the new lockdown law will expire automatically. After this, he says he wants to offer people "as normal a Christmas as possible".

The next question is about whether we will be able to celebrate Christmas normally.

The PM says: "I perfectly understand why people feel frustrated by the measures... but I also know the overwhelming majority of people will work together to get the R down."

He says it can be done by 2 December, adding: "I have every confidence we will be able to [get infections down] if we follow this package of measures.

"I [have] no doubt people will be able to have as normal a Christmas as possible and things can open before Christmas as well."

The government has been asked today why it didn’t extend furlough earlier.

For months, opposition parties and devolved governments have said the scheme should have lasted into winter.

The PM is defending the strategy earlier in the summer to try and wind it down – and ultimately replace it. He is blaming the “autumn surge” for the need to rethink.

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The first question from a member of the press comes from the BBC's Vicki Young, who asks why the furlough scheme was not extended earlier.

Johnson says the scheme has run continuously since the "onset" of the crisis and the announcement today will give firms greater certainty.

Asked whether the government should have been more cautious in lifting lockdown over the summer, Sir Simon Stevens says the reduction over the summer was "substantial".

"When the facts change, you've got to change in accordance with those new facts," he says.

He adds that the spread of the virus has increased across Europe.

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In the second question from the public, the PM is asked what consideration has been given to limited vaccine success and how we live with Covid going forward if they don't work.

Johnson says there is a "tripod we are resting our programme on the way ahead", starting with therapeutics and medicines, moving to the testing regime, and then the vaccines.

"That's the way forward, but if you talk to the scientists they believe things will start naturally to improve in the spring for other reasons", such as the improvement in weather conditions.

The PM adds: "I think the real progress we are going to see is with science.

"There isn't a virus that has threatened humanity that we haven't beaten."

Sir Simon says there are six "front runner" vaccines and the ones coming first are the "cleverest", so he remains positive.

The first question at today’s press conference comes from Tom, a member of the public, who asks about the ban on amateur football in England's lockdown.

Boris Johnson says he would "love to be able" to let this continue, but the "package of measures" must be "complete" to get the infection rate down.

He says this is a "sad answer" to have to give.

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Sir Simon says preparation has been "substantial".

There is four months of PPE ready and waiting, and staff have been working "hammer and tongs to catch up on disruption for first wave".

But the message from staff is "we do need your help" to "help us help you".

He concludes by quoting an ICU nurse, who says while we cannot stop heart attacks and strokes, "we can reduce the spread of coronavirus in the community and that is what we need to do to care for everybody who needs it".