UK's Sunak says he wants to help firms avoid lay-offs

British finance minister Rishi Sunak said he was working on measures to help firms affected by coronavirus to cover staff costs and avoid redundancies, which many businesses say are imminent.

"What we're trying to do is find a way to help businesses meet the fixed costs of their staff without having to let them go," Sunak told a news conference.

"Whatever we do, we need to make sure it can work fast and quickly. What we can't do is try and reinvent something or invent something from scratch."