HEALTH services will receive “as much money as they need” to help deal with coronavirus, according to the chancellor.

Rishi Sunak MP announced the cash injection in his budget statement on March 11.

He said the NHS will receive “any extra resources it needs”, whether that is “millions or billions of pounds” to deal with Covid-19 on top of £6 billion of new funding to support the NHS over this Parliament.

In addition, statutory sick pay will be extended to all of those eligible and asked to self-isolate, even if they are not showing symptoms, and the Government will meet the cost for businesses with fewer than 250 employees of providing SSP for 14 days. A temporary coronavirus business interruption loan scheme will also be introduced for banks to offer loans of up to £1.2 million to support small and medium-sized businesses with their cash flow.

Worcester MP Robin Walker said: "This is a significant step up in spending in order to meet the immediate challenge from coronavirus, particularly some of the things like small business rates relief which will help smaller businesses affected by coronavirus and the flooding.

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"There was also a specific mention in Rishi's speech of areas which have been flooded multiple times, and obviously Worcestershire would benefit from that. It is an ambitious programme of spending which meets the clear economic threat we face from coronavirus, so it is right for the government to to be proactive in responding to that."

The budget also said the National Insurance threshold will increase from £8,632 to £9,500 and the National Living Wage will rise to £10.50 per hour by 2024 if economic conditions allow.

Fuel duty will be frozen for another year, £26 billion will be invested in roads, and the Government will abolish £2.4 billion annual tax relief on red diesel in two years’ time, but agriculture, rail, domestic heating and fishing will be exempt.

The Treasury will make £120 million available immediately to repair defences damaged in the winter floods and the Government will double investment to £5.2 billion flood defences over six years.

In addition, the so-called Tampon Tax will be abolished along with VAT on books, newspapers, magazines and academic journals which will be scrapped from December 1.