Help is on the way for those who work for themselves
MILLIONS of self-employed people left behind in the recent financial aid pledges were yesterday promised: “Help is coming.”
However, Chancellor Rishi Sunak refused to confirm it will match his historic bailout for employees, saying it was an “incredibly complicated task”.
Last week Mr Sunak promised to pay up to 80 per cent of workers’ salaries and offer £350billion of support to business.
He has come under increasing pressure to do more to support those on zerohours contracts, gig economy workers and self-employed.
The country’s five million self-employed can so far only access £94.25 a week in universal credit benefits and defer their self-assessed tax payments until next year. The Chancellor told MPs: “There are genuine practical and principle reasons why it is incredibly complicated to design an analogous scheme to the one that we have for employed workers.
“The ability for the government to distinguish between these people, based on tax returns that are over a year and a half out of date, poses some very significant challenges in terms of fairness and affordability.”
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Stephen Barclay told MPs: “I say to the selfemployed, we have not forgotten you. Help is coming.
“But the policy and delivery is complex.And we should not rush to announce a scheme that begs more questions than it answers.”
Unite union boss Len McCluskey said: “Confused messages and lack of financial support are at odds with the urgency of this emergency.
“Workers need clear direction and protection from Government now.”