West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin has welcomed the opening of a new scheme aimed at supporting self-employed people who have been impacted by the coronavirus crisis, which has gone live two weeks ahead of schedule.

The scheme was opened yesterday by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (May 13) and eligible claims will be paid within six working days. Local people will be able to get a taxable grant of 80 per cent of their average monthly trading profits, paid out in a single instalment covering 3 months, and capped at £7,500.

Every eligible customer has been given a date from when they can claim, between today and May 18.

The scheme is part of a range of measures rolled out by the Treasury to support businesses of all sizes who have had to pause trading during the global pandemic. More information can be found at https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus/business-support.

Harriett commented: “The Government has been working at great speed to deliver a range of support schemes to help businesses, help protect jobs and people’s livelihoods.

“It has been an immense effort and I know from my own casework, that there are some complex challenges offering the widest possible support for local people.

“The scheme has now opened up well ahead of schedule – with the promise of swift payouts for 95 per cent of self-employed workers – and HMRC is now dealing with claims for eligible self-employed people over the coming days.”