Self-employed workers in Cumbria can’t afford to wait until June - MP

Commenting on the announcement from the Chancellor this afternoon that self-employed people won't be able to access financial support to cope with the impact of coronavirus until June, Tim said: "The measures that the Chancellor is introducing are really welcome but the brutal reality is that so many of the nearly 11,000 self-employed people in Westmorland and Lonsdale just simply can't afford to wait until June to get a proper wage.

"I've already had one local self-employed engineer contact me in utter desperation about how they are going to survive over the next two to three months on just £94.25 a week and I'm sure there will be many more just like them.

"I've also had a nurse get in touch who is really worried about people putting their own health at risk by breaking the curfew to go out and feed their families and keep a roof over their heads.

"The Chancellor is doing his best in unprecedented circumstances, but we cannot afford to let anyone through the gaps."