Rishi Sunak’s furlough 2.0 is an ominous sign that events are outside the government’s control

Editorial: The second wave is happening quicker than ministers expected – and we are not prepared for a bleak winter

Rishi Sunak has announced that he will extend the furlough scheme (PA)

After repeatedly insisting he would not extend his furlough scheme, Rishi Sunak has now done just that. Two weeks after announcing that a less generous Job Support Scheme would replace the furlough programme on 1 November, the chancellor has rightly bowed to pressure to help businesses and protect jobs in the growing number of coronavirus hotspots.

On Monday, the government is expected to announce further restrictions in the northeast and northwest involving the closure of pubs and restaurants. Mr Sunak said these would be decided “collectively” with local leaders over the weekend. But that looks suspiciously like a consultation exercise after the key decisions have already been taken by a government wedded to “command and control”. Local politicians such as Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, are entitled to feel aggrieved they were not consulted before the latest restriction plans surfaced in Thursday’s newspapers.

Ministers are also likely to simplify the confusing patchwork of rules, which even Boris Johnson was unable to explain in media interviews. Streamlining the regulations by creating a three-tier system based on local infection rates is long overdue. Hopefully, the move will encourage and enable more people to stick to the rules.