Reuters reports that иritain's finance minister Rishi Sunak will promise on Wednesday to do "whatever it takes", including a five-month extension of a huge jobs rescue plan, to steer the economy through what he hopes will be the final months of COVID restrictions.

"We're using the full measure of our fiscal firepower to protect the jobs and livelihoods of the British people," Sunak will say, according to excerpts of his speech which is due to begin around 1230 GMT.

"First, we will continue doing whatever it takes to support the British people and businesses through this moment of crisis," he will tell parliament.

"Second, once we are on the way to recovery, we will need to begin fixing the public finances - and I want to be honest today about our plans to do that. And, third, in today's budget we begin the work of building our future economy."