Chair writes to Secretary of State on support for self-employed

24 Mar 2020 03:36 PM

Rachel Reeves, Chair of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee, has written to Alok Sharma, Secretary of State for BEIS to call for further support to the self-employed and freelancers who have lost work as a result of the response to Coronavirus.

• Letter from Deliveroo on Covid-19
• Letter from Hermes on Covid-19
• Inquiry: Impact of coronavirus on businesses and workers
• Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee

Chair's comments

Rachel Reeves, Chair of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee said:

“The Chancellor’s package last week to support businesses and employees was welcome. But, with self-employed and freelancers still not covered by support – even as many of their businesses are now subject to lock-down – there is a worrying gap in the Government’s strategy to protect these livelihoods which urgently needs to be put right.

“Support rapidly needs to be extended to the self-employed and freelancers, to increase the rate of statutory sick pay to the real living wage to help those who are sick or self-isolating, and for the Government to take the ambitious steps required to support the over five million self-employed people in the UK through this crisis.”

The letter from Rachel Reeves references evidence from witnesses including IPSE (Association of Independent Professionals and the Self Employed) and the FSB at last week’s BEIS Committee evidence hearing on the impact of coronavirus on businesses and workers

Hermes and Deliveroo correspondence

The BEIS Committee has also published today recent correspondence from Hermes and Deliveroo on measures to protect their workers.

BEIS Committee wants to hear examples of businesses supporting workers & national effort on coronavirus

As part of its inquiry into the impact of coronavirus on businesses and workers, the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee are keen to hear examples (tweeted to @CommonsBEIS or, alternatively, emailed beiscom@parliament.uk) of what individual businesses are doing to support their employees and contribute to the national effort of combatting the coronavirus.

Further information

• About Parliament: Select committees
• Visiting Parliament: Watch committees