In a statement this afternoon, the government said it had extended its ban on landlords evicting commercial tenants behind on their rent payments until at least the end of the year, in a bid to protect jobs. 

The secretary of state for housing Robert Jenrick said extending the ban until the end of the year would give struggling high street retailers and restaurant chains a chance to “focus on rebuilding their business over the autumn and Christmas period”.

Jenrick, however, said that “where businesses can pay their rent, they should do so” as the measure was only designed to support those “struggling the most during the pandemic”.