More uncertainty hit sites tonight after schools across the country were ordered to close on Friday a short time after the Bank of England unveiled details of its plan to allow larger contractors access to cheaper capital so they can keep going in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.

The Bank’s Covid-19 Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF), set up by the Treasury to support firms who have been hit by a funding squeeze, will run for an initial period of 12 months – suggesting the government recognises getting back to normality for firms will be a long haul.