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MPs will debate the government’s financial support for small businesses and individuals during the Covid-19 pandemic on 15 January in the House of Commons chamber.
This debate was put forward by Manuela Perteghella MP.
In November, the UK Covid-19 Inquiry began hearing from businesses, workers and the self-employed, as it examined the government’s economic response to the pandemic.
Alongside the inquiry, the latest report from ‘Every Story Matters’, a large scale public engagement exercise which heard 58,000 stories, was published.
The report said: “Incomes changed overnight, causing stress and uncertainty. Access to some goods and services stopped abruptly while, for others, new business opportunities opened up. Service providers working in charities had to pivot their model to ensure they could keep providing for people in need.
“Business owners with responsibility for employees were uncertain about what the next week would bring. People were put on furlough, which represented a safety net for some; for others it denied a sense of purpose. Some people are still feeling the impact of the economic response to this day.”
According to the Treasury, around £140bn was spent on business support during the pandemic, including £70 billion on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, known as furlough.
