London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025

Self-employed people 'are being left in the dark'

Self-employed people 'are being left in the dark'

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has dramatically changed course by extending the furlough scheme until the end of March and pledging more generous help for self-employed people.

Support through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) will be increased, with the third grant covering November to January calculated at 80% of average trading profits, up to a maximum of £7,500.

But not everyone has welcomed the new measures. While some see them as a lifeline, others are dismayed that they fail to qualify for much-needed assistance.

Nick Rewcastle, of Peacehaven in Sussex, is one of the latter. Before the pandemic struck, he was head of the communications team at Harlequins Rugby Club.

He spent three months on furlough before being made redundant, then decided to strike out on his own by founding his own sports PR consultancy, NRPR.

"The fact that I'm newly self-employed means I don't qualify for any support," he told the BBC.

"I've managed to find a few clients and that's keeping me busy until mid-December, but then in January it's looking pretty scary.

"I'm doing my own thing and it's brilliant, but as far as the government is concerned, they don't care.

"It's disappointing. It doesn't make sense that people like me are being left in the dark."

Mr Rewcastle is unimpressed by Mr Sunak's assurance that anyone made redundant after 23 September can be rehired and put back on furlough.

"Harlequins aren't in a position to take anyone back," he says.

"He's saying all these people can go back into work, but businesses are so unstable at the moment, people who've been made redundant are going to stay redundant."


Greg Wilson runs a one-man company and has furloughed himself


Greg Wilson, 35, of Wells in Somerset, has managed to qualify for some support, although his income has taken a hit from the pandemic.

He is the owner and director of a "one-man band" company, Chew Valley Generators, which supplies electricity to weddings and other events.

He would normally service about 120 events a year, but that fell to just six this year. As a result, he took the decision to furlough himself.

"Furlough has been a lifesaver for myself and my small company, as we missed every other grant," he told the BBC.


'One-size-fits-all'


However, like many other company directors, he normally pays himself a salary of £1,000 a month and takes the rest of his income in dividends, which are not included in his furlough.

That means the government is paying him 80% of his salary - that is, £800 a month.

Mr Wilson objects to what he sees as the government's "one-size-fits-all" approach to company directors.

"They class me as the same sort of director as Richard Branson," he says. "But as well as being director, I'm also the tea-boy, the delivery driver and the service engineer."

He describes the furlough extension as "amazing news". With the scheme now ending in March and the events season running from April to October, he hopes it will tide him over.

"We get to wait until April to see what happens," he says. "Fingers crossed, we will be back."


'Head above water'


Jewellery designer Sarah Herriot, 58, also runs her one-woman set-up as a limited company, but decided that furloughing herself would be bad for her business in the long term.


Sarah Herriot is striving to save her business


"I've been working six days a week trying to keep my business afloat," she told the BBC. "I've worked very hard at it and to be fair, I've managed to keep my head above water."

Before the onset of coronavirus, she mainly sold her jewellery at shows and fairs, but these have all been cancelled, so she is now left with her website.

"That's not really working, so I've been surviving on commissions and bits and pieces of work," she says.

The only support she has received is a local discretionary business grant from Camden council in London, because she was able to demonstrate that she had lost 70% of her income during the pandemic.

Ironically, she says, she would have been able to make a claim under the Job Support Scheme, which had originally been set to replace the furlough scheme this month, but that has now been postponed.

"I would have had to go down to one day a week to get that. That's the first thing that I could have applied for," she says.

"But now we're back to furlough, so I'm out in the cold again.

"It makes me angry. It's so depressing, it beggars belief. All these businesses going to the wall and you wonder whether you're going to be next."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
×