“ABSENT” Chancellor Rishi Sunak is being urged to announce financial support for low-income households affected by the new lockdown, after not making a substantial speech for over a month.

Mr Sunak must boost financial support for workers who have to self-isolate if Britain is to suppress the virus, the TUC warned today, as a record number of new Covid-19 cases was announced.

The daily number of new coronavirus cases surpassed 60,000 for the first time, with a total of 60,916 cases recorded.