Ministers were urged to fix a “blind spot” excluding some 3 million people from coronavirus financial support schemes ahead of Christmas.
Sheffield City Region Mayor Dan Jarvis said the Treasury appeared to be resistant to recognising the contribution of people missing out, such as the self-employed and freelancers.
Some three million people are estimated to have fallen through the cracks of Chancellor Rishi Sunak ’s coronavirus support schemes. “There is a concern that we all share that the Treasury appears to have a blind spot when it comes to these particular sectors of the economy,” he told a cross-party parliamentary group. “None of this is easy but there does appear to be a blind sport here...