UK's Rishi Sunak says priority remains to protect jobs

British finance minister Rishi Sunak said that his priority remained to protect as many jobs as possible from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, as he prepared his next round of support for the economy which will be announced in his March 3 budget.

"My priority has always been to try and protect as many people's jobs as possible," Sunak told broadcaster Sky News on Friday. "I think that is the right priority to have as we think about the next phase of the pandemic."

Sunak also said people wanted the government to be careful and cautious about relaxing coronavirus restrictions.