British firms call for immediate $10.3 billion in COVID aid

British firms called on Tuesday for another 7.6 billion pounds ($10.3 billion) of emergency government help, saying they cannot wait until finance minister Rishi Sunak’s March budget to learn if they will get more pandemic support. With Britain back under lockdown and companies adjusting to life after Brexit, firms are taking big decisions about jobs and investment and need to know if their financial lifelines will be extended, the Confederation of British Industry said. “We just have to finish the job. Now would be a very odd time to end that support,” CBI Director-General Tony Danker said in a statement.