Official employment figures reveal that the number of people on employer payrolls decreased by 649,000 between March, when the lockdown started, and June. Unemployment has not increased dramatically, however, because many employers have put their staff on the government’s furlough scheme. Job vacancies are at their lowest since records began in 2001 at an estimated 333,000. 

The education secretary announced today that universities across in England at risk of bankruptcy could apply for emergency loans from the government. Thirteen universities across England are at risk of bankruptcy, according to the Institute of Fiscal Studies. Loans granted to at risk universities could come with conditions, such as ending “low value” courses.