Since 2008 there has been a 35 per cent increase in the number of self-employed people and they are now 15 per cent of the workforce. On current trends, there will be well over 5 million freelancers by the end of the next Parliament. The UK’s solo self-employed also contribute £305bn to the economy – underlining their vital importance to the economy.
Entitled 5 Million Votes: how to win the support of the self-employed, the manifesto makes forty recommendations across four areas – Brexit, finances, business environment and rights and support – so that the next government can keep up with the rapidly changing workforce.
Key policies include a call for a fundamental review of self-employed and small business taxation, new powers for the Small Business Commissioner to crack down on late payment and rates relief for turning empty premises into co-working spaces to revitalise Britain’s high streets.
IPSE is also calling on its members and the wider freelance community to use the hashtag ‘#5millionvotes’ to spread the word about the importance of the self-employed during the campaign.
Simon McVicker, IPSE Director of Policy and External Affairs, said: “This will be a hugely important election for the country. It is therefore vital that all political parties remember that, regardless of Brexit, there are 5 million votes out there from the UK’s self-employed that are up for grabs.
“From building a modern tax system to ending the culture of late payment and boosting the number of co-working spaces, we believe all parties should be listening to needs of the self-employed and outlining policies that will make a difference to them.
“The self-employed could prove decisive in dozens of marginal constituencies across the UK. All parties would do well to remember this and IPSE will be working hard during the campaign to get the message out there.”
IPSE’s top five policy priorities to win the support of the self-employed are to:
Read the pamphlet or the extended version of our manifesto below.
Latest self-employed news and opinions
In this blog, we explore what the new Employment Rights Bill means specifically for the self-employed and what IPSE believes government's next steps must be.
Do you feel like your hard work is going unnoticed? You’re not alone.
Many freelancers deal with what I like to call "Invisible Freelancer" syndrome. Even t...
The truth is, while being talented is important, it's not the be-all and end-all.
To really stand out and attract great clients, you must also focus on buil...