Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what criteria his Department has set for businesses which wish to apply for the bailout fund created by Operation Kingfisher.

The first port of call for a business facing cashflow issues should be commercial lending. As the Bank of England have said, UK banks are well-prepared, well-capitalised, and publicly committed to continuing to lend to viable businesses.

Overall, the government has already made over £6.3bn available to prepare for EU exit. This includes £2 billion of core funding for departments for Brexit in 2020-21, which was confirmed in the recent Spending Round.

The UK economy remains resilient, but we will continue to closely monitor any developments in economic risks to firms, sectors, and regions. We are considering what further support may be needed and any announcements will be made in due course.