Some of Britain’s biggest businesses are in line for a multimillion-pound windfall as furlough ends.
The chancellor has defended his £9bn bonus scheme, announced on Wednesday, that will pay £1,000 to companies for each worker taken back from furlough.
Labour has criticised the policy, saying that it would subsidise firms that planned to bring workers back anyway and was not a big enough inducement to prevent redundancies.
Officials have refused to sign off the plan because they were uncertain of its value for money.
JD Wetherspoon, which put 43,000 people on furlough, is potentially eligible for £43m, if all employees returned within the timeframe.
