UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced measures to support self-employed workers amid the Coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking during the daily Coronavirus Press Conference from Downing Street, Mr Sunak told the self-employed “You have not been forgotten”, as he announced that these workers will be able to apply for a government grant worth 80% of their average monthly profits over the last three years.
The announcement comes after the government had been facing criticism for previously failing to provide support for self-employed and freelance workers.
The newly announced scheme is open to those who are self-employed and earn under £50,000 a year. Those gaining support will be able to continue working, unlike under the scheme already announced for employees which could see employees paid 80% of their wages through government grants.
The money on the scheme will be backdated to March but will be delivered in one lump sum, and not until June. The grant will also be taxable and will need to be declared on tax returns by January 2022.
The number of people to have died from the virus in the UK now stands at 578, after jumping more than 100 in 24 hours between Wednesday and Thursday.
Photo Credit: Pippa Fowles / No 10 Downing Street via Flickr under licence (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
