MP welcomes furlough extension but blasts Government for abandoning the excluded

Commenting on the announcement from the Chancellor this afternoon that furlough self-employment support schemes will be extended to the end of March, South Lakes MP Tim Farron said:

"This is massive news. We've been calling for this for the hospitality & tourism industry in particular since April and myself and Gill Haigh from Cumbria Tourism raised it with the Tourism minister when we met with him earlier this week.

"However, the fact the Government waited for the original scheme to close before announcing the extensions will be heart-breaking for people who have already been made redundant over the summer.

"It's also frankly unbelievable that the Government are continuing to use the same eligibility criteria that has excluded 3 million people.

"Freelancers, recently self-employed, new starters and directors of ltd companies have been abandoned again.

"I won't give up fighting for them."