BORIS Johnson has signalled that the furlough scheme will be made available to the devolved governments if they decide to enter a Covid lockdown in the future.
The Prime Minister's comments came in answer to a question from Douglas Ross, the Scottish Tory leader, after hours of avoiding the same question from other MPs.
Ross said: "The furlough scheme is UK-wide, for the next month. The crucial answer we need is will it be available to other nations in the United Kingdom if, in future, the science demands that further lockdowns are required anywhere in the country.
"If he can't give that commitment, will he explain why it seems an English job is more important than a Welsh, Northern Irish, or Scottish one?"
Johnson said he would repeat what he had already said, that the furlough was UK-wide. However, he then added: "If other parts of the UK decide to go into measures which require the furlough scheme then of course it's available to them. That has to be right.
"And of course, that applies not just now, but in the future as well."
READ MORE: 'If this bears out': Nicola Sturgeon cautiously welcomes UK furlough extension
Speaking just afterwards, the SNP's Pete Wishart asked for Johnson to confirm that he had said and meant the furlough would be available if Scotland decided to go into lockdown independently of England.
Johnson said the furlough was UK-wide and would "continue to be available wherever it is needed".
Johnson had previously been asked the same question as Ross asked by MPs from Labour, the LibDems, and the SNP. He failed to give a straight answer.
The UK Treasury's official response is also unclear, failing to give a yes or no answer.
It says: “The UK-wide furlough scheme has been available in Scotland throughout the recent local restrictions. During this time furloughed employees will have received 80% of their wages, as they will do in November.
“Our extension of the furlough scheme until December is just one part of our £200bn support package, which has protected jobs and helped millions of people across the UK continue to provide for their families.
“As we have throughout this crisis, we will continue to listen and respond to people’s concerns and work closely with the devolved administration in Scotland.”
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