What help is there for self-employed workers affected by the coronavirus? – live Q&A

Britain’s five million-strong army of self-employed workers are calling on the Government to do more to support them, with many saying they have been left behind by official measures and face the worrying prospect of not being able to pay their rent or mortgage under a lockdown.

As Andy Slark, owner of cleaning service H20 Cleaning, told the Telegraph: “I won’t have any money coming in whatsoever.”

Rishi Sunak has faced criticism by campaigners for leaving self-employed workers behind after he unveiled an unprecedented package of support for employees.

The Chancellor has said that help is on the way, including potentially paying contractors a proportion of their income using earnings made in recent years. But the complexity of dealing with such a diverse range of workers means the money could take a month or more to reach those who need it.

So what can the self-employed do now? What support is available to them and what do current Government measures mean for those who employ staff? 

Join us from 1pm GMT on Thursday 26 March for the answer to those questions and more.

We will be joined by Enterprise Nation’s Emma Jones, Telegraph Money reporters Marianna Hunt and Harry Brennan, and more.

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