MP demanding Chancellor fixes issues with furlough
Bridget Phillipson has sent a letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, demanding that he fix the issues surrounding the furlough scheme.
TheMemberofParliament for Houghton and Sunderland South, Bridget Phillipson, has written a letter to Chancellor Rishi Sunak calling for him to address the issues with the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) and the SelfEmployment Income Support Scheme (SEISS).
The furlough scheme lasts until April 30 and covers 80% of an employee’s usual salary for hours not worked, up to a maximum of £2,500 per
month. However, employers can only claim for employees who were employed on or beforeOctober30,2020–anyone who was employed after that
date is not eligible.
In her letter, Bridget Phillipson said: “The Government spent last summer looking to wind down support schemes as quickly as possible, despite continued economic disruption and warnings from businesses, unions, the Labour Party and even its own backbenchers.
"Scientists also continued to warn about the continued prospect of the resurgence of the virus, raising the possibility of future lockdowns and a need for new support measures long before the Government accepted the need for these.
"The Government’s refusal to fix the gaps in the CJRS and SEISS means they have been repeatedly extended with only minor changes to their eligibility criteria.
"Many businesses and workersexcludedsinceMarch will remain without support through a long and difficult winter and by the time the schemes come to an end in April will have gone over a year without support.”
Mrs Phillipson went on to urge the Chancellor to improve both schemes and support those who need it most – citing that big retailers have returned vast amounts of cash in recent weeks.
Sheadded:“Thehugesums returned to the Government in recent weeks by retailers who found they didn’t need the support means that there is space for the Government to do more and do better for these people, without changing the financial envelope you originally set down.
"I urge you to move quickly to update the eligibility criteria for CJRS, review and improve the SEISS, and move to support Britain’s recovery and Britain’s entrepreneurs.”