Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced a £750m cash injection for frontline UK charities, including hospices and those supporting victims of domestic abuse.
At today’s Covid-19 briefing, he said: "There are over 170,000 charities - we will not be able to match every pound of funding they would have received this year."
Mr Sunak said £360m will be directly allocated by government departments, while £370m will go to smaller charities, including through a grant to the National Lottery Community Fund. A further £60m of that will go to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The chancellor also promised to match fund donations to the National Emergencies Trust as part of the BBC’s Big Night In fundraiser, with a minimum pledge of £20m.
He said: "Charities teach us the lesson that the simplest acts have the potential to change lives. At this time, when many are hurting, tired and confined, we need the gentleness of charities in our lives. It gives us hope, makes us stronger and reminds us we depend on each other."
The Chancellor shared news of PM Boris Johnson, saying that his condition had improved after two nights in intensive care.
He added: "This is a terrible virus that respects no boundaries... but we are not facing it alone."
At the briefing, MOD chief scientific adviser Angela McLean said the UK data was heading "towards a flat curve", adding that there has been just a 4% increase in patients in critical care over the past 24 hours.
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