Self-employed workers will be able to claim 80 per cent of their average monthly profits in an "unprecedented" move to cover the impact of coronavirus.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced the move in the government's daily briefing earlier this evening.

The package, worth up to a maximum of £2,500 a month, would cover 95 per cent of self-employed workers.

Central government had previously come under pressure as its initial financial support plan only covered employees.

Mr Sunak said: "Musicians and sound engineers, plumbers and electricians, taxi drivers and driving instructors, hairdressers and child minders and many others, through no fault of their own, risk losing their livelihoods.

To you, I say this. You have not been forgotten. We will not let you behind, we all stand together.

"To support those who work for themselves, today I am announcing a new self-employed income support scheme.

"The Government will pay self-employed people who have been adversely affected by the coronavirus a taxable grant worth 80 per cent of their average monthly profits over the last three years, up to £2,500 a month."

The Chancellor said the scheme will be available "no later" than the beginning of June.

It is open to anyone with trading profits of up to £50,000 and will only be available to those who make the majority of their income from self-employment so only the "genuinely self-employed" benefit.

He added: "To minimise fraud only those who are already in self-employment who have a tax return for 2019 will be able to apply."

"95% of people who are majority self-employed will benefit from this scheme."

If you're eligible, HMRC will contact you directly ask you to fill out a simple online form, then pay the grants straight into your bank account.

To make sure no one misses out on support, tax returns can be submitted for another four weeks for anyone who missed the January filing deadline.

Self-assessment income tax payments due in July can also now be deferred to the end of January 2021.