Reuters reports that Britain offered a 4.6 billion pound support package for businesses struggling to cope with a third national lockdown, imposed this week to stem a new wave of COVID-19 cases sweeping the country.

Finance minister Rishi Sunak said retail, hospitality and leisure companies will be able to claim one-off grants worth up to 9,000 pounds to get them through the coming months - adding to hundreds of billions of pounds of existing support.

"This will help businesses to get through the months ahead - and crucially it will help sustain jobs, so workers can be ready to return when they are able to reopen," Sunak said.

In addition to the UK-wide grants, worth around 4 billion pounds, the government will provide 594 million pounds of funding to the administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.