The Liberal Democrats are urging the Government to extend income support for self-employed workers after they declared victory in convincing the Government to extend furlough payments for employees, preventing redundancies.
Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey, who is asking the public to join his campaign to protect workers, warned "taxi drivers, hairdressers, cleaners, childcare providers and millions of other self-employed people are still not getting the help they need."
The call comes after the Chancellor annouced the Job Retention Scheme, currently covering nearly a quarter of UK jobs, will continue to October with employees receiving 80% of their monthly wages up to £2,500.
Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said:
“The Furlough scheme has helped protect jobs and it is something the Liberal Democrats have campaigned to protect. So I am delighted the Government has done just that and adopted many of our ideas.
“However there are still millions of people that need significant help through this challenging period. Some who moved jobs but were not on their new employer’s payroll by mid-March have fallen into a crack in the system and need much more help.
“The lockdown has also been extremely difficult for many self employed people. Taxi drivers, hairdressers, cleaners, childcare providers and millions of other self-employed people are still not getting the help they need."
Liberal Democrat spokesperson Dan Walker for Leeds West added:
"The Coronavirus crisis has left countless families facing financial hardship, with unemployment on the rise. We must protect families and our economy for the long term.
"The Liberal Democrats led the campaign for a Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, which will finally open tomorrow. But the Government must extend this scheme too. Self-employed people have waited far too long for this support, and they must not see it snatched away too early.”
ENDS.