Rejected petition Include self-employed in the 80% earnings pledge for businesses

Rejected on 27 March 2020

Self-employed rely on small levels of income by hour and by project. We are experiencing huge losses without ability to recover and with little to no financial security. We are therapists, artists, yoga teachers, builders, child-minders, caterers, etc and virus measures are killing our livelihoods.

We simply won't survive the next few weeks let alone months. It takes a long time to build up your profile and visibility and we're watching all our hard work be swept away. There is no support, no safety net yet we provide essential services across the country. We're not luxury lifestyles, we're hard-working with and for our fellow countrymen. So why have we not been included in the 80% earnings pledge. We need help and you can prevent mass joblessness, homelessness, and debts.

Why was this petition rejected?

We can't publish petitions when the request is something that's already happening or something that has been announced since you started your petition.

We think your petition is covered by Government or Parliament action already. If you'd like something else, you could start a new petition clearly explaining what it is.

Since this petition was started, the Government has said that most self-employed people can claim a taxable grant worth 80% of their trading profits up to a maximum of £2,500 per month for the next 3 months.

You can find out who is eligible and how to apply here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-a-grant-through-the-coronavirus-covid-19-self-employment-income-support-scheme

You can read the Government’s announcement here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/chancellor-gives-support-to-millions-of-self-employed-individuals

You can find out what other Government support is available for people as a result of coronavirus (under the section on employment and financial support) here: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

You can find out more about coronavirus and how you can protect yourself and others here:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

You can read NHS tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-anxiety-tips

We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards.