The chancellor has announced £18bn will be spent on preventative coronavirus measures next year, including vaccines, testing and personal protective equipment.

In the Spending Review, Rishi Sunak also confirmed the NHS would receive a £3bn funding boost to recover from the pandemic, allowing one million checks, scans and operations to take place.

He said: ‘Today's Spending Review honours our historic multi-year commitment to the NHS.

'Next year, the core health budget will grow by £6.6bn, allowing us to deliver 50,000 more nurses and 50 million more general practice appointments.

‘We are increasing capital investment by £2.3bn to invest in new technologies, to improve patient and staff experience, replace ageing diagnostic like MRI and CT scanners.'

Mr Sunak also said the Government was committed to England's biggest hospital programme ‘in a generation,' which he said would deliver 40 new hospitals and upgrade 70 more.

He said local authorities would have an extra £1bn to fund social care, in addition to the extra £1bn social care grant that was provided this year already.

Mr Sunak confirmed this grant would be maintained.