The furlough scheme cost taxpayers £69bn over an 18-month period, making it the biggest intervention in the UK jobs market in peacetime.
Official figures published by the Office for National Statistics have revealed the final cost of the scheme, which finished at the end of September and was a key part of the government’s efforts to prop up the economy during the pandemic.
The bill rises to £97bn when grants to the self-employed are included in the calculation.
