Rishi Sunak has said the new lockdown restrictions in England will expire on 2 December “as a matter of law”.
The chancellor stressed these rules are time limited – and told the BBC the government’s “expectation and firm hope is that the measures put in place will be sufficient to do the job we need”.
At the conclusion of the four-week period, Mr Sunak added that it is hoped England will be able to return to a tiered system.
The new lockdown is scheduled to start on Thursday, and the prime minister is set to face MPs later today ahead of a vote on the measures on Wednesday.
It is expected to be voted through on the back of Labour votes, with many Conservative MPs unhappy with the decision.
Questions over whether the lockdown will be extended beyond four weeks were raised after Cabinet minister Michael Gove told Sky News on Sunday that could happen “if necessary”.
The furlough scheme has been extended to cover people unable to work during the lockdown due to restrictions.
On Monday, Mr Sunak said support of 40% from the government for self-employed workers “will go up” but that those grants cover a much longer period than the furlough scheme.