‘More than a million miss out on Covid support’

MORE than one million people have fallen through the cracks of Government support schemes designed to keep them afloat during the coronavirus crisis, MPs have warned.

The Treasury Select Committee called on ministers to find ways to protect many freelancers and recent employees who have been unable to access support.

“The Treasury’s interventions have been welcomed by many but rolling out financial support at pace and scale has inevitably resulted in some hard edges in policy design and some critical gaps in provision,” the committee said in a report published yesterday.

Treasury Select Committee chairman Mel Stride said: “The Chancellor has said that he will do whatever it takes to support people and businesses from the economic impact of the pandemic.

“Overall, he has acted at impressive scale and pace.

“However, the committee has identified well over a million people who, through no fault of their own, have lost livelihoods while being locked down and locked out of the main support programmes.”