BORIS JOHNSON was condemned by MPs today for using “sickening” and “pathetic” deflection to avoid saying whether the furlough scheme and evictions ban will be extended.

Think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) estimated that up to nine million jobs and 600,000 firms could be at risk if the employment support scheme is not extended beyond April 30.

The government has been urged to prolong the use of furlough while new Covid variants continue to spread in Britain and non-essential businesses are forced to remain closed.

During Prime Minister’s Questions, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer asked Mr Johnson whether the furlough and business rate relief schemes will be extended.

Dodging the question, the PM mentioned that rates of infection have been “steadily brought down, thanks to the efforts of the British people,” and that “a road map for the way out of the pandemic” will be set out in “a few days.”

On business rates relief, he said that Sir Keir “should wait until the Budget for the Chancellor [Rishi Sunak] to explain exactly what we are going to do.”

Sir Keir said that the Commons had heard “no decision on business rates, no decision on furlough” from Mr Johnson.

He added: “Let’s try another crucial issue – and, Prime Minister, no excuse for delaying this time, because this has to be decided before the March Budget and the Prime Minister doesn’t need to check with the Chancellor.

“So will the Prime Minister now commit to extending the evictions ban on residential properties beyond February 21?”

Mr Johnson replied: “I have said repeatedly that what we will do in this government and throughout this pandemic is put our arms around the British people and support them throughout the pandemic and make sure that people are not unfairly evicted during the pandemic. That is what we will do.”

Green MP Caroline Lucas said that Mr Johnson’s “pathetic prevarication” was “excruciating.”

She added: “Mindless repetition of government ‘putting its arms around the British people’ is sickening.”

Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy urged ministers to follow Germany and France’s example by extending the furlough scheme to the end of this year and to “incentivise companies to train workers.”

She added: “Protecting jobs and retraining workers now will make rebuilding easier in the future.”

Fellow Labour MP Afzal Khan insisted that people cannot wait until the Budget in March to know the future of their jobs and businesses.

He said that the government is “once again leaving decisions to the 11th hour.”