Boris Johnson has said he believes that workers will return to offices “in a few short months”, when ministers hope to reopen the economy and remove social restrictions introduced to control the spread of coronavirus.
In a video message to the Railway Industry Association conference, the prime minister rejected suggestions that remote working could become the new norm and said the British public would be “consumed once again” with a desire for face-to-face meeting.
It came as the chancellor Rishi Sunak said the UK’s public finances would face “enormous strains” in the wake of the third national lockdown, adding that he would use his Budget next week to “level” with the British public.
Mr Sunak told the Financial Times that a bill for the government’s £280bn investment in Covid-19 support would eventually have to be paid.
However, the chancellor is facing a potential backlash from Conservative backbenchers over suggestions he could include tax rises in next week’s statement on the economy.
