UK borrowing soars to cope with impact of virus

A woman looking anxious at work Image copyright Getty Images
Image caption The furlough scheme means the government is paying the wages of more than 6.3 million people

The government borrowed £62.1bn in April, the highest monthly figure on record, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The scale of the figure underlines the cost of coping with the coronavirus pandemic through jobs schemes and loans.

The furlough schemes had the largest impact, totalling £14bn in April.

The government's independent forecaster, the OBR last week suggested a whole-year deficit of £298bn.