The big news today was the Chancellor's announcement that the furlough scheme will be extended to October. This means employees will continue to receive 80 per cent of their monthly wages up to £2,500. There was a message to employers, too, with Rishi Sunak asking companies to "start sharing" the cost of the scheme from August. A quarter of the workforce, some 7.5 million people, are now covered by the programme, which has cost a staggering £14 billion a month. The sums of money are eye-watering, as is the effect this virus is having on the economy, and I repeat that we must get the country back to work as fast as possible. I'd put in to ask a question at Defence Questions, but was once again not selected. With these sessions only lasting a short time, it's proving very hard to take part. I can only urge the Leader of the House to get us MPs back to the Commons as fast as possible. This virtual system is not working. At 1300 I dialled into a Zoom conference with NFU President Minette Batters and quite a few parliamentary colleagues. Both Simon Hoare and Neil Parish are threatening to push amendments to the Agriculture Bill which is in the House tomorrow. They are about standards. My next Zoom meeting was at 1400 with the Defence Select Committee. We had a fascinating public session on procurement, taking oral evidence from Professor Trevor Taylor, of RUSI, Francis Tusa, a well-known defence journalist, and Sir Mark Poffley, the former Chief of Defence Staff at the MOD. All three were very impressive and their answers can be found on Hansard. The second session involved my friend and colleague Philip Dunne MP, the former Minister for Defence Procurement between 2015 and 16. He, too, was most impressive. At 1715, I dialled into yet another Zoom conference, this time with Business Secretary Liz Truss. She briefed us on a trade deal with the US, with the emphasis on agriculture. A virtual meeting with the 1922 Committee, at which the PM was due to attend, was postponed. We voted at the end of COVID debate at 1750. Much to my frustration, I was not called to speak during this vital two-day debate. I wrote to the Speaker's office to find out why, to be told I had spoken too many times in this parliamentary session. Oh dear! Finally, Health Secretary Matt Hancock warned that foreign holidays were unlikely, so my advice to those thinking of planning one is to think very carefully before investing in one.