Today I can announce the next step in the economic fight against the Corona with new support for the self employed I'll step by step.

Action is adding to slow the spread of Christ fires so fewer people need hospital treatment at any one time.

Protecting the N H s is ability to come at every point.

We have followed expert advice to be controlled in our actions, taking the right measures the right time.

We are taking unprecedented action to increase N HS capacity by increasing the number of beds, key, soft and lifesaving equipment on the front line to give people the care they need.

That is why it is absolutely critical that people follow our instructions to stay at home so that we can protect the N hs and save lives.

All right, action plan to beat this pandemic.

Is there a black thing to do?

But we know that people are worrying about their jobs and their incomes.

Working closely with businesses and trade unions, we have put together a coherent, coordinated and comprehensive economic plan higher, which is already starting to make a difference.

Big employments like bru dog Timpson prepped.

I have already said that our Kuroda virus Jobs for Attention scheme means they will protect thousands of jobs we're publishing this evening detailed guidance on how the scheme will operate so that other businesses can protect jobs too.

Small businesses are already benefiting from the Corona virus business interruption loans of up to £5 million which interest free for 12 months with 30,000 enquiries in just four days.

Local authorities are already in forming over 700,000 retail, hospitality and leisure businesses that they will pay no business rates this year.

And the new hardship grand scheme providing cash grants of up to £25,000 for the smallest businesses is now up and running.

So with any business is struggling and worrying, they may need to do stuff I would to log on to business support dot golf dot UK on the very carefully what support is available before deciding to late.

I'm proud of what we've done so far, but I know that many self employed people are deeply anxious about support available for them.

Musicians and sound engineers, plumbers and electricians, taxi drivers and driving instructor had dresses and child minders and many others through no fault of their own risk losing their life to you.

I say this.

You have not been forgotten.

We will not let you.

We all stand together.

So to support those who work for themselves.

Today, I'm announcing a new self employed income support.

The government will pay self employed people who have been adversely affected by the Corona virus a taxable grand worth 80% of their average monthly profits over the last three years.

Up to £2500.

This game will be open to people across the UK for at least three months, and I will extend it for longer.

If necessary.

You'll be able to claim these brands and continue to do business, and we're covering the signal to become for a self employed person as we offer further employees who also receive a grand worth 80% that's, unlike almost any other country makes Alice Game one of the most generous in the world.

Providing such unprecedented support for self employed people has been difficult to do in practice.

On the self employed are a diverse population, with some people learning significant profits.

So I've taken steps to make this scheme deliverable and to make sure that the scheme provides targeted support for those most in need, it will be open to anyone with trading profits of up to £50,000 to make sure only the genuinely self employed benefit.

It will be available to people who make the majority of their income from self at middle ice fraud.

Only those who were already in self employment who have a taxi 2019 will be able to apply 95% people who a majority self employed well, best from this game.

Intimacy or working on this urgently and expect people to be able to access the steam no later than the beginning of June.

If you're eligible, Agent will see will contact you directly, ask you to fill out simple online fool that pay the grown straight into your back and to make sure no one needs.

It misses out on support.

We have decided to allow anyone who missed the fighting deadline in January 4 weeks from today to submit that, but I know many self employed people are struggling, right, so we make sure that support is available.

Self employed people can access the business interruption loans self assessment income tax payments that would you in July could be deferred to the end of January next year.

We've also changed the welfare system, so that's something people can now access.

Universal credit in full, a self employed positive with a normal working partner and two Children living in the social rented sector.

Kanzi Whoa festival After £1800 a month, the scheme was announced.

Today is it is talk to those who need it the most and crucially it is delivering, and it provides an unprecedented level of support for self employed.

As we've developed this game, I'm grateful for the conversation's off with Federation of Small Businesses, the Association of Independent Professionals and the self employed at a range of trade unions, including the trades evening callers.

But I must be honest in point out that in devising escape in response to many calls for support, it is now much harder to justify the inconsistent contribution between people of different employment.

Status is if we all want to benefit equally from state support, we must all pay in future.

Thes mills.

10 days have shaken our country and economy as never before in the last two weeks, we have put aside ideology and orthodoxy to mobilize the full power and resources that the British state we have done so in the pursuit of a single goal to protect people's health and economic security by supporting public service is like your chest businesses on protecting people's jobs and income.

What we have done will, I believe, stand as one of the most significant economic interventions at any point in the history of the British state by any government, anywhere in the world.

We have pledged that whatever the results is, the N hs needs it promise to pay 80% of the wages of further work.

It's for three months up to £2500 differed more than £30 billion of tax payments until the end of the year, agreed nearly 17,000 times to pay arrangements with businesses and individuals.

Made available £333 billion of loans and guarantees introduced cash brought of up to £25,000.

A small business problem covered the cost of statutory sit paid small and medium sized businesses for up to two weeks.

More employees lifted the incomes of over four million counsels with nearly £7 billion boost along well, fastest agreed that three month mortgage holiday, with lenders on nearly a £1,000,000,000 more support for renters through the local housing.

And today we've announced one of the most generous self employed support schemes anywhere in the world.

Despite these extraordinary steps, there will be challenging times ahead.

We will not be able to protect.

Every single job will save every single business.

That that the measures we have put in place will support millions of families, businesses and self employed people.

To get through this, get through it together and emerged on the other side both strong and more united.

Thank you.

I think if we could take some questions from the media telling first, too.

Laura Kuhns from the BBC back very much Tessler You said you hoped to cover nearly all of the South employees.

But what about people who this scheme doesn't note cover?

When do you hope my start coming through?

If I may be being really inundated with worries from people who feel they're not safe for work, we have a message from someone.

Then the report was forcing people, they said.

Everyone knows It's a world that we're being emotionally blackmailed by also saying you don't come to work, people will lose their jobs.

The Chancellor What do you say to employers who have fled flexing rules like that as to the deputy CM, If I may, when you not accept the kick of the virus to be for those up today information you have, please.

Thanks, Laura, to your first question this steam.

If you look at people who make the majority of their earnings from self employed, this team will cover 95% of them off the people that it does not cover that last 5%.

Those above the income threshold that we set their average incomes are about £200,000.

So we think what we have done is reasonable, proportionate, fair covers 95% of all self employed people who make a majority of their writings from self employed.

So I think it is.

It is a very generous keep in that regard on treats him with the same parity that we did for employed in terms of the timing.

Our expectation is that this will be up and running by the beginning of June We will look to try and do it faster than that, but I don't want to promise something that we can live today.

As I said before, this is operationally complicated.

We're already designing brand new schemes to cover the 90% of the population that are employed here.

We need to design another scheme.

On top of that, we also want to give now four weeks for people who haven't filed a tax return yet from January, on opportunity to do so to benefit from this game.

I think that was a trade off that was worth making, giving people that little bit of extra time now those late fighters.

But that does have a little bit of a pact about when this team could be up and running at all times to Jenny to answer your second question around workplace guidance bars.

So I think on on the workplace guidance, it's really important that employees, most of whom have been extraordinarily supportive, I think of their employees, stick to the normal principles of workplace house.

We've made it very clear.

I think what was our people could work from home.

They should be able to if they can't they're maybe adaptations that they do in workplace.

We've also made it clear what sorts of distances and practical measures could be made to ensure people are safe.

So in some ways, although we're being more specific about the public health requirements in the middle of this outbreak, actually the same principles about workplace safety apply on Dino.

The health and Safety executive were reminding workplaces off that today on on the issue off the peak in the epidemic actual, you will not be surprised to know that I am not going to protect too precise timing for that on.

The reason for that is we are only just starting to see a bite, if you like.

In the interventions that social distancing that have been put into place, it would be far too early to predict.

I think we are starting to see some helpful movement.

Let's put it that way and what we will be looking for is it changing the slope rather than being a very steep?

But what we will be looking for it to be a gentle slope, but we must not take off it off the pedal.

People have been really cooperative, and I think in the last few days that the public has really understood this is something very serious and their actions wherever they are.

It will save lives.

So too early to say yet.

But I think starting to move in the right direction thank you turns next to Beth Rigby from Scott.

You scheme a big scheme that you can't get the money and do 10 people that they can apply.

You've also credit, but there's a five.

We wait for the first payment.

Can you guarantee to people watching this who are in immediate, desperate need that if they apply universal credit that they will get an advance payment in 10 days or less to tide them over?

I question if I make the deputy C M o how many images staff are currently, I'm able to work because they are or South isolated.

It's obviously an area huge that to your question about people's and media Castro needs to which of course, were enormously sympathetic to We've got a couple of things with regard to universal credit first making it just more accessible, particularly for those who are self employed and generous in that regard.

Overrule in terms of the measures have already announced, but in terms of speed, it is already the case on the department.

Working pictures are focused on this that people can get an advance payment it almost immediately after the claim, so they do not have to wait for the five weeks in advance.

Payment can be given almost immediately days.

That's very much what they are already doing.

On top of that, we have deployed extra results is into the authorities, particularly to help those who are most vulnerable with things like that council tax bill, which were many very life bill that they face every month as a local authorities.

Now we're received the extra money we've given them.

They work in their own communities, toe, identify those most vulnerable families that you talked about and ensure they get a little bit of extra help to help fight through a difficult few weeks a month.

So I don't have the precise figure with me this afternoon.

Your relation thio just stopping.

But I'm sure my images colleagues would I think the important thing is Thio do recognize that there are a significant number of staff who are absolutely doing the right thing as the rest of the public are in taking themselves out of the workforce if they are symptomatic on maintaining the safety for the rest of the public, but particularly vulnerable patients.

And I think we have direct lies and support and the two things we have been doing to try and improve that as we go forward, that is the right thing to do.

But we can help everybody.

I think number one to be clear on what the workplace guidance is on.

There is a very helpful guidance through Thean hs, but for particularly people with in the vulnerable group within divine conditions.

I think some people interpreted that if they're healthy, well, they have an underlying condition as perhaps needing to stay right out of the workforce.

For some of those people that will be appropriate for them to work.

But on an individual discussion with their workplace on then, I think the other issue obviously is.

I know you'll be where we are trying to push forward on our testing ground.

But right at the top of that list.

Other house care workers and workers, different responses.

For example, police under their first line response systems.

And that's because we recognize that knowing whether people have had the disease brings people back into the workplace now.

But it also means we know what our resilience is going forward as we move into the depths really of the epidemic.

So it's It's for all of us to do that.

That's what we're trying to do.

You can tell next to a Robert Peston my TV there often Angel I saw my connection doesn't seem just a little bit get again.

So what about many people who only recently entered the workforce might know have three years of accounts, not even one year counts?

How could they get help?

Secondly, how old your mosquito run for?

Do you have an estimated cost?

Uh, up of this key on?

Finally, Did I hear you right?

When with through this, you intend to equalize Tax and national insurance between employment and self employment essentially is a form of natural justice sits There will be a bailout, a loss of being say basis on there.

The C I a Christmas, he said yesterday.

But the big problem in terms of wrapping up testing is a world shortage of the bits of the kids.

Why didn't we want kids weeks ago when this first emerged is a problem.

Why didn't wait today?

It's Robert.

What was your first question exactly?