Government pays £6.8bn to support self-employed workers

The government has spent £6.8bn providing financial support to 2.3m self-employed workers in under two weeks since the scheme was launched, official figures showed.

Help for the self-employed makes up almost a third of government wage subsidies during the Covid-19 lockdown. The total, including support for furloughed workers, was £21.8bn on 24 May.

More than 10m workers' wages are being supported by the government's emergency schemes - representing about a third of the workforce. The number of employees and contractors furloughed rose to 8.4m from 8m a week earlier at a cost of £15bn.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak launched the self-employed income support scheme on 13 May. On the first day, 441,000 people claimed £1.3bn and by 17 May the figures had risen to 2m claims worth £6.1bn. The scheme pays qualifying applicants up to £2,500 a month depending on their earnings in previous years.

Sunak is facing calls to extend the scheme, which runs out at the end of May. He has extended the furlough scheme for employed workers until October. More than 90,000 people have signed a petition requesting an extension.