Sunak's self-employed subsidy to fight Covid-19 has faults but is fair | Larry Elliott
by Larry Elliott from on (#519Z7)
The chancellor's hastily arranged scheme delivers equality with employed workers
A notable feature of Britain's highly flexible labour market is the high number of people who are self-employed. More than five million people work for themselves - and the number has been rising steadily since the financial crisis just over a decade ago.
Some self-employed workers are extremely highly paid but the majority are by no means coining it in. Many of them have just seen their income disappear after the government quarantined vast chunks of the economy as a result of Covid-19.
Related: UK government to pay 80% of wages for those not working in coronavirus crisis
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