‘Given that the majority of these workers pay themselves a monthly salary of around £719, it’s clear that PSC workers have simply been left behind and are now facing the harsh reality of just £575 a month in financial support from the government.’  Part of the reason for this is believed to be the difficulty for HMRC in establishing whether dividend payments are the result of payment for work, or from passive investments.

This point is echoed by Philippa Childs, head of Bectu, the trade union which represents many film and TV technicians and others in the creative industries. Childs said: ‘Bectu has pushed incredibly hard for freelancers and the self-employed to have parity with employees and the scale of the chancellor’s announcement clearly sets out to achieve that. ‘However, we will not stop and there are still many details to work through including how those who have paid themselves through dividends will fit into this scheme and also the time-scale.’