Yasmin Qureshi MP letter to Rishi Sunak

Yasmin Qureshi MP
Member of Parliament for Bolton South East
House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA
Tel: 020 7219 7019
The Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP
Chancellor of the Exchequer
HM Treasury
The Correspondence & Enquiry unit
1 Horse Guards Road
London
SW1A 2HQ
Dear Rishi,
PAYE Freelancers
I am contacting you on behalf of PAYE freelancers who do not have access to the Government’s
economic support programmes.
These workers are stuck in no-man's land as they cannot apply for the Self-Employment Income
Support Scheme (SEISS) and many of their employers are refusing to furlough them via the
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS).
This lack of a safety net comes despite PAYE freelancers paying just as much tax as other workers with
different employment statuses.
An example of this is PAYE freelancers working for the BBC. The BBC is only furloughing some of their
PAYE freelancers, with most still being left out in the cold, especially those working in international
news.
Unfortunately, this is not unique to the BBC, with PAYE freelancers across my constituency and the
country being abandoned by their employers and their Government.
Clearly, one of the above schemes needs to be extended to include PAYE freelancers, or a specific
scheme launched to support these workers.
HMRC already holds details of most freelancers’ average monthly & yearly earnings, so the
Government could use this to calculate what these workers are entitled to. PAYE freelancers could
apply for this scheme themselves, rather than through their employer.
It is imperative that we close this loophole as quickly as possible, in order to provide PAYE freelancers
with safety and certainty during these difficult times.
We cannot leave anyone behind during the coronavirus crisis. The Government must take action.
Constituency Office:
60 St. George’s Road, Bolton, BL1 2DD - 01204 371202 - qureshiy2@parliament.uk
Website: www.yasminqureshi.org.uk

Yasmin Qureshi MP
Member of Parliament for Bolton South East
House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA
Tel: 020 7219 7019
Yours sincerely,
Yasmin Qureshi
Member of Parliament for Bolton South East and Shadow Minister for International Development
Constituency Office:
60 St. George’s Road, Bolton, BL1 2DD - 01204 371202 - qureshiy2@parliament.uk
Website: www.yasminqureshi.org.uk