Self-employed workers will be able to claim government support worth 80% of trading profits as England prepares to enter a new lockdown, Boris Johnson has announced.
Ahead of the new national measures coming into force on Thursday, the prime minister used a House of Commons statement to warn of an “existential threat” to the NHS due to the “remorseless advance” of the second wave of coronavirus infections.
“It’s now clear we must do more together,” he told MPs.
From Thursday, pubs, bars, restaurants and non-essential shops will have to close in England.
And people will be told to stay at home, apart from when attending school, college, university, work or go food shopping.
In order to reflect the extension of the furlough scheme for employed workers through November, Mr Johnson announced support for the self-employed will also be boosted during the new month-long lockdown.
He said: “The government will continue to do everything possible to support jobs and livelihoods in the next four weeks, as we have throughout.
“We protected almost 10 million jobs and we’re now extending the scheme throughout November.
“We’ve already paid out £13.7bn to help the self-employed and I can announce today that, for November, we will double our support from 40% to 80% of trading profits.
“The chancellor will also extend the deadline for applications to COVID loan schemes from the end of this month to the end of the next, to ensure small businesses can have access to additional loans if required.”
The prime minister has faced backlash from within his own party over the decision to announce a new England-wide lockdown.
Some senior Tory backbenchers have declared they will vote against the lockdown in a House of Commons vote on Wednesday ahead of the lockdown’s proposed start date of Thursday.
Sir Charles Walker told Sky News that 15 Conservative MPs would rebel against the government in the vote.
Meanwhile, Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross has suggested it was a “mistake” for Mr Johnson to have previously rejected calls for an earlier national lockdown.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer used a speech at the Confederation of British Industry conference to blame Chancellor Rishi Sunak for delaying a second lockdown.
Earlier on Monday, ministers and officials from the UK government and the devolved administrations were given a scientific briefing at a meeting of the emergency COBRA committee, chaired by senior cabinet minister Michael Gove.
Wales is currently within its own 17-day “firebreak” lockdown, with First Minister Mark Drakeford setting out the new rules that will apply once the shutdown ends.