New UK chancellor Rishi Sunak launched his first Budget today – devoting the first portion of his speech to a £12 billion package of measures designed to combat the impact of Covid-19 coronavirus on households and the economy.

Mr Sunak said it was projected that up to a fifth of the UK working age population could need to be on sick leave at any one time during the peak of the virus outbreak, which has so far killed six people in the UK. The outbreak is expected to escalate significantly in the next 10 to 14 days.