Almost half a million people have applied for benefits after losing their incomes due to the crisis.
Thérèse Coffey, Work and Pensions Secretary, told the Commons Work and Pensions Committee today there had been 477,000 new Universal Credit claims in the past nine days.
She said: “We don’t know if they are self-employed or at different stages and help — even if it’s not currently the level of help they would like — is there to help them through the safety net of the welfare state.”
Self-employed workers have been waiting in online queues of more than 100,000 and battling with jammed phonelines. One user called Patricia said she had met “unbelievable chaos” trying to call.
Will Quince, welfare delivery minister, tweeted that the department had “taken the necessary steps to refocus our operation” in “these unprecedented times”.
