ExcludedUK Official (@ExcludedUK) header
ExcludedUK Official (@ExcludedUK) profile picture

ExcludedUK represent the 3.8 million UK taxpayers decimated by Covid-19 financial support policy Please donate via https://nitter.cf/t.co/178YMHktCd

United Kingdom
Joined May 2020
Photo by ExcludedUK Official (@ExcludedUK)Photo by ExcludedUK Official (@ExcludedUK)Photo by ExcludedUK Official (@ExcludedUK)Photo by ExcludedUK Official (@ExcludedUK)Photo by ExcludedUK Official (@ExcludedUK)Photo by ExcludedUK Official (@ExcludedUK)Photo by ExcludedUK Official (@ExcludedUK)Photo by ExcludedUK Official (@ExcludedUK)Photo by ExcludedUK Official (@ExcludedUK)
MEDIA RELEASE FROM #ExcludedUK FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday 28 October 2026 PM ANDY BURNHAM WILL REGRET THIS! 20 PROMISES CAUGHT ON VIDEO AS EXCLUDEDUK DEMANDS ANSWERS ON BUDGET DAY Six years of promises, no financial redress and not even the apology he pledged to pursue. ExcludedUK confronts the Prime Minister with his own words as Chancellor John Healey delivers the Autumn Budget. 4 houses and 2 businesses lost in the last 6 weeks alone!!!! WATCH THE VIDEO: youtu.be/Yjm6ag4m1xI Prime Minister Andy Burnham has spent more than six years publicly championing the plight of the estimated 3.8 million UK taxpayers excluded from meaningful Covid-19 financial support. Now ExcludedUK is reminding him of 20 promises and commitments captured on video, as the Government delivers its first Autumn Budget under his leadership. Words of support. Promises of action. Commitments to justice. Reassurances that the campaign would not be forgotten. All caught on camera. All waiting to be honoured. For years, Andy Burnham was one of ExcludedUK's most vocal political supporters, participating in numerous campaign events and repeatedly expressing his determination to see the injustice rectified. Now, as Prime Minister, he has the opportunity to turn those words into meaningful action. Jennifer Griffiths, Head of ExcludedUK, who personally co-hosted several events with Andy Burnham, said: "Andy Burnham was one of our loudest and most passionate political champions. I co-hosted several events with him, and time and time again, he made commitments to support our fight for justice. "He told us financial redress was fair, proportionate and doable. He spoke about the injustice being indefensible. He understood the devastation caused to people who had dutifully paid into the system, only to be abandoned when they needed help most. "He pledged to pursue an apology. He spoke about putting things right. He told us that the passage of time did not change the injustice. "Now he is Prime Minister, and we are still waiting. "Not even the apology has materialised. An apology costs absolutely nothing, yet six years later, we are still waiting for that too. "Andy, we believed you. Our members believed you. Your words gave people hope when many had absolutely none left. "Those commitments were not whispered behind closed doors. They were made publicly, repeatedly, and we have them on video. "Twenty promises and commitments. Twenty reminders of the hope you gave us. Twenty reasons why we are not going away. "You told us this injustice could and should be rectified. Now you have the authority to help make that happen. "Prime Minister, we are holding you to your word." THE AUTUMN BUDGET: WHERE IS THE JUSTICE FOR EXCLUDED TAXPAYERS? As Chancellor John Healey delivers the Government's Autumn Budget today, ExcludedUK is demanding answers about the continuing absence of a financial remedy for those excluded from the Covid-19 support schemes. The Chancellor has promised a Budget focused on supporting British businesses, easing financial pressures and restoring hope. ExcludedUK recognises the importance of helping households, businesses and the self-employed through today's economic challenges. However, the campaign questions how the Government can speak of fairness and opportunity while the financial devastation experienced by excluded taxpayers remains unresolved. During the pandemic, billions of pounds were distributed through Government financial support schemes, yet an estimated 3.8 million taxpayers found themselves falling through the gaps. Many were self-employed workers, limited company directors, freelancers, new starters, people on maternity leave and small business owners. They were taxpayers who had contributed to the country's finances, only to discover that the support available to others was inaccessible to them. Dutifully paid in. Deliberately left out. The consequences have been catastrophic. Businesses have closed. Family homes have been lost. Relationships have broken down. People's physical and mental health has deteriorated. Tragically, the campaign has also supported families bereaved by suicide and members who have survived suicide attempts. For these people, the impact of exclusion did not end when lockdown restrictions were lifted. Jennifer Griffiths continued: "We hear politicians talk about supporting entrepreneurs, investing in small businesses and rewarding hardworking taxpayers. "Yet what about those taxpayers who lost everything because they were excluded from the financial lifelines offered to others? "How can we talk about rebuilding Britain's economy without acknowledging the businesses that were destroyed and the people whose financial security was shattered? "You cannot build a fairer Britain by continuing to overlook those who were unfairly excluded. "We are not asking for special treatment. We are asking for parity, accountability and justice. "Every Budget that passes without addressing this injustice is another reminder of the promises that remain unfulfilled." EXCLUDEDUK TAKES THE EVIDENCE DIRECTLY TO PARLIAMENT Today, Wednesday 28 October 2026, ExcludedUK is taking its message directly to Westminster. A digital video van is circulating Parliament Square between 9.00 am and 5.00 pm, displaying powerful testimonies from excluded taxpayers, the human consequences of exclusion and the political commitments made to the campaign. The van is taking the voices of those who have been ignored for more than six years directly to the heart of Government. The campaign is also drawing attention to footage of Andy Burnham's repeated commitments to ExcludedUK. Watch the video of his promises here: youtu.be/Yjm6ag4m1xI WHAT EXCLUDEDUK IS DEMANDING Our three demands remain unchanged: 1. An apology from Government so this injustice is recognised, together with an assurance that this will never happen again. 2. Parity of support 3. Acknowledgement of loss of earnings/profit and consequential loss. These demands are not new. They are the same fundamental principles of fairness and accountability that ExcludedUK has been fighting for since May 2020. We dutifully paid in, but were deliberately left out. Lives and livelihoods lost. More than 40 lives have been lost to suicide among those affected by exclusion, according to ExcludedUK's records, while our dedicated mental health and welfare team has provided vital support to hundreds of people experiencing severe distress. "PRIME MINISTER, WE HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN. HAVE YOU?" Jennifer Griffiths concluded: "Andy Burnham once told us that the passage of time did not change the injustice. He was right. "Six years have passed, but those words are as relevant today as they were when he first spoke them. "The difference is that he is no longer simply a politician offering support from the sidelines. "He is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. "He has the opportunity to demonstrate that those promises were more than words. "Twenty promises and commitments, all captured on video. Millions of taxpayers still waiting for justice. "To those who have lost their businesses, their homes, their livelihoods and, in some tragic cases, their loved ones, this is about far more than politics. "It is about accountability. It is about fairness. It is about restoring faith in the promises made by those who seek our trust. "Prime Minister, we haven't forgotten. Have you? "We Are Not Going Away. We Are Relentless." ENDS NOTES TO EDITORS About ExcludedUK ExcludedUK is a grassroots campaign representing the estimated 3.8 million UK taxpayers excluded from meaningful Government financial support during the Covid-19 pandemic. The campaign seeks parity of financial support, official recognition, accountability and fair financial redress for those affected. ExcludedUK works alongside the Gaps in Covid-19 Financial Support All-Party Parliamentary Group to raise awareness of the long-term consequences of exclusion. Video of Andy Burnham's commitments to ExcludedUK: youtu.be/Yjm6ag4m1xI Budget Day campaign activity: ExcludedUK digital video van, Parliament Square, Westminster, Wednesday 28 October 2026, 9.30 am to 5.30 pm Media enquiries: Jennifer Griffiths Head of ExcludedUK [email protected] Website: excludeduk.org #ExcludedUK #WeAreNotGoingAway #Relentless Come on @andyburnham ... remember your promises to #ExcludedUK members and fulfil your promise to stand by the excluded! youtu.be/Yjm6ag4m1xI 🚨PLEASE SIGN AND SHARE OUR EXCLUDEDUK PETITION🚨 ✍️ PLEASE SIGN IT HERE: WHILST WE ARE WAITING FOR PM ANDY BURNHAM TO HAND OUT THE PARITY HE PROMISED…. 🚨THIS IS HOW YOU CAN HELP….🚨 ✍️ SIGN our Parliamentary petition petition.parliament.uk/petit… 💜 DONATE to help fund the campaign: buymeacoffee.com/excludeduk 🌐 VISIT our website to learn more about ExcludedUK excludeduk.org 🔗 FOLLOW & SHAREour Linktree to find all our social media channels and campaign links linktr.ee/excludedukofficial 📣 SHARE our posts and help keep #ExcludedUK visible 🏛️ CONTACT YOUR MPand ask them to support ExcludedUK and the Gaps in Covid-19 Financial Support APPG.. even ask them to join by emailing [email protected] Every signature, donation, share and voice helps. @JohnHealey_MP @ExcludedFighter @SadieMHarris @JohnMartinComic @inkbyboston @harrisonmaxwell @NickFerrariLBC @ITVX @PA @ExcludedUK @andyburnham @JohnHealey_MP @downingstreet @switherdenMP @MP4Stratford @AlPinkerton @gregsmith_uk @RichardNewby3 @ExcludedFighter @SadieMHarris @APPGGapsSupport @UKLabour @LibDems @Conservatives @theSNP @reformparty_uk @thisisyourparty @Plaid_Cymru @TheGreenParty @thatginamiller @MartinSLewis @JohnDCaudwell @itvnews @GMB @GBNEWS @BigIssue @LBC @itvnews @BBCNews @PA @AP @BBCBreakfast #Excluded #Covid19 #APPG #PMQs #FinancialRedress #BounceBackLoans #MentalHealth #justicefortheexcluded
7
37
36
1,687
"We will be with you as long as you are." We're STILL here, @AndyBurnham. Still fighting. Still waiting. Are you still with us, or have your promises been forgotten? #ExcludedUK #WeAreNotGoingAway
3
3
88
"Whatever happens, the campaign to support you will go on." That was YOUR commitment, @AndyBurnham. Our campaign continues, but where is the support you promised? #ExcludedUK #Relentless
3
2
92
ExcludedUK Official retweeted
Replying to @andyburnham
@andyburnham ......... politics is not working for the 3.8 Million #ExcludedUK - the @Conservatives ignored us during Covid - you were supporting us, saying it was 'morally wrong' - @UKLabour ignored us under KS. Will YOU now show us your support actually counts NOW as PM?
7
6
128
ExcludedUK Official retweeted
🎖️ 350,000 #ExcludedUK veterans were also denied COVID support. Now their children face another Christmas relying on food banks and choosing between heating or eating. Alistair, will you now speak up for yours in #Hitchin #Hertfordshire to @andyburnham as the now @UKLabour PM?
Christmas? What Christmas?!? #ExcludedUK members haven’t had the same government financial support as 90% of UK taxpayers have for 21 months, so frivolous spending is impossible!! @JohnDCaudwell @AndyBurnhamGM @MetroMayorSteve @MartinSLewis @thatginamiller @TonyRobinsonOBE
12
8
197
ExcludedUK Official retweeted
Replying to @TrisOsborneMP
This cost-of-living talk rings hollow to the 3.8m #ExcludedUK. 6½ years waiting. After 29+ unanswered emails, yours in #Chatham & #Aylesford look to you to follow Tracy Crouch’s lead and press @andyburnham to honour his pledges of restitution Tris? @Chathamnews @Kent_Online @PA
🚨 ANDY BURNHAM, PLEASE REMEMBER THE PROMISES YOU MADE TO EXCLUDEDUK! 🚨 Six and a half years. 3.8 million taxpayers. Countless promises. Still no justice. Prime Minister Andy Burnham, this video is a reminder of the commitments you have made to ExcludedUK and the millions of taxpayers who were denied parity of Covid-19 financial support. You have been one of our loudest and most consistent political champions since the beginning of our campaign. You have listened to our stories, spoken at our events, stood alongside our members and repeatedly acknowledged the devastating injustice we have suffered. You even co-hosted several events with our Head of ExcludedUK, Jennifer Griffiths, including the livestream in June 2024, when you told us: 🗣️ “The public see you and the public support you.” 🗣️ “The passage of time doesn’t change that.” 🗣️ “The level of injustice that you have faced is indefensible.” 🗣️ “We will work with you to make sure that the excluded is recognised as one of the injustices that this country needs to rectify.” You also spoke about financial remedies that could be “fair, proportionate and doable.” Those words gave people hope, Andy. Real hope. For some of our members, that hope was the very thing that kept them going when everything else seemed lost. But the years have passed. Businesses have disappeared. Homes have been lost. Families have been torn apart. Tragically, we know of more than 40 people who died by suicide, with exclusion contributing to the devastating circumstances they faced. We cannot bring those people back. But we CAN honour their memories by ensuring that this injustice is finally acknowledged and addressed. Today, you are no longer campaigning from outside Westminster. You are the Prime Minister. We understand that financial redress requires careful consideration, political will and public money. But an apology costs NOTHING. Not a penny. Yet even that basic acknowledgement of what happened to 3.8 million hardworking, taxpaying people has still not been forthcoming. We are asking you to honour your commitments: ✅ Deliver a full and frank public apology ✅ Meet with ExcludedUK, our APPG and representatives of the bereaved families and those who survived suicide attempts ✅ Work with us towards a fair, proportionate and achievable financial remedy ✅ Recognise the devastating and continuing consequences of exclusion Andy, you once told us that the passage of time does not change the injustice. We agree. We haven't forgotten your words, and we haven't given up on you. Please don't give up on us. 🎥 WATCH THE VIDEO. LISTEN TO YOUR OWN WORDS. REMEMBER THE PEOPLE YOU PROMISED TO HELP. youtu.be/Yjm6ag4m1xI Dutifully paid in. Deliberately left out. #ExcludedUK #WeAreNotGoingAway #Relentless @andyburnham @JohnHealey_MP @ExcludedFighter @SadieMHarris @JohnMartinComic @TonyRobinsonOBE @inkbyboston @StephenLiddell_ @Travelicious_24 @harrisonmaxwell
13
10
605
ExcludedUK Official retweeted
Replying to @sharrond62
How are so many of the 3.8 million #ExcludedUK already on their knees after years of hardship, supposed to survive another government abandoning them? How much more can they take? Their families, livelihoods and futures matter. It's time they listen @paullewismoney. @ExcludedUK
📢 #IsItOK to campaign alongside 3.8 million excluded UK taxpayers for over SIX YEARS, promise them justice, then fall silent when you become Prime Minister? @andyburnham, we are still waiting for answers. #IsItOK that another #ExcludedUK member was made homeless last Friday... the fourth house last in the last SIX weeks!!! We thought you were trying to end homelessness?!?!!! For well over six years, Andy Burnham was one of the most vocal and passionate political supporters of #ExcludedUK, campaigning WITH us for the millions of hardworking UK taxpayers who were wholly or partially excluded from meaningful Covid-19 financial support. These included freelancers, the self-employed, small business owners, company directors and thousands of people, including those working in the TV and film industries, many of whom saw their livelihoods disappear overnight. Andy did not simply offer a few words of sympathy. He actively campaigned alongside us, co-hosting several events with Jennifer Griffiths, Head of ExcludedUK, speaking directly to our members, listening to their devastating experiences and repeatedly pledging his support. 🎥 WATCH THE ATTACHED VIDEO In this recording, Andy Burnham promises to pursue financial remedy AND a public apology for those so appallingly let down. He knew the human cost of exclusion. He knew that at least 40 people had taken their own lives, with their deaths reported to ExcludedUK in connection with the devastating consequences of being denied support. He has described the exclusion as "indefensible" and said a solution was "fair, proportionate and doable". Yet since becoming Prime Minister, the man who stood beside us for well over six years appears to have fallen silent. 📩 Our emails and messages to Andy Burnham have gone unanswered. 📩 Our correspondence to Chancellor @JohnHealey_MP has also failed to secure the answers and action we have been seeking. 💔 Families are still grieving. Lives and livelihoods remain shattered. People are still living with the financial and psychological consequences of decisions made more than six years ago. Attemtped suicides are still a regular occurence! Not even the promised apology has materialised. 💥 An apology costs NOTHING! No Treasury funding. No Budget allocation. No complicated financial calculations. An apology is FREE, and that is something we can ALL afford! So, Andy, we ask you: ❓ #IsItOK to promise hope to millions of people and then leave them waiting when you finally have the power to deliver? ❓ #IsItOK to acknowledge the devastating human cost of exclusion but still fail to provide even a public apology? ❓ #IsItOK for those who dutifully paid into the system, but were deliberately left out, to still be fighting for justice more than SIX YEARS later? Andy, you stood with us when you were campaigning. We need you to stand with us now that you are in power. 3.8 MILLION PEOPLE HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN. We are not going away. #ExcludedUK #IsItOK #TheLastLeg #AndyBurnham #JohnHealey #Channel4 #AdamHills #JoshWiddicombe #AlexBrooker #TVandFilm #Freelancers #SelfEmployed #Covid19 #CovidSupport #ExcludedFighter #WeAreNotGoingAway #Relentless
11
12
391
ExcludedUK Official retweeted
Replying to @SME4LABOUR
Now, Margaret, your #ExcludedUK constituents and 3.8m families need YOUR voice. 🚨 After years of tenacious support from @andyburnham, we’re now being snubbed by him as @UKLabour PM. Will you stand with @ExcludedUK?💔 @MetroUK @theLDNstandard @BBCLondonNews @HinaBokhariLD @GMB
It's truly dreadful that people think the pandemic is over...when there are thousands still paying their Bounce Back LOANs...when the other 90% of UK taxpayers were awarded grants that they didn't have to pay back. #ExcludedUK don't have a problem with that, nobody would have survived without them... but why were 10% left out?!? Why was it OK for 1 member of ExcludedUK to take their own life, let alone 40... and they are the ones we have been notified about....there will be thousands more we don't know about... Last Friday another #ExcludedUK member lost their house as they could not keep up with mortgage AND BBL repayments.... how is that even allowed??!!? @MartinSLewis your team told Head of #ExcludedUK, Jennifer Griffiths, that you could not campaign with us any longer as you were concentrating on your own projects... but nothing has changed since you last campaigned with us...in fact, it has got worse... more people have lost homes, businesses, personal possessions, and lives! Please help us... I know you are busy, but despite all his promises, @andyburnham has gone quiet on us! Jennifer is still dealing with attempted suicides and the families of those who have taken their own life as a result of being excluded... it is just not right! Please email Jennifer and work out a way to help us. [email protected] excludeduk.org
15
9
315
ExcludedUK Official retweeted
Replying to @PippaCrerar
🚨 Pippa: @andyburnham must go further than any PM before him. Before the last GE he called for an apology and restitution for 3.8m #ExcludedUK and our families. 40+ suicides, 3 since @UKLabour formed @GOVUK and hundreds of attempts. HE MUST ACT NOW @SkyNews @TheRealJamieKay @PA
📢 #IsItOK to campaign alongside 3.8 million excluded UK taxpayers for over SIX YEARS, promise them justice, then fall silent when you become Prime Minister? @andyburnham, we are still waiting for answers. #IsItOK that another #ExcludedUK member was made homeless last Friday... the fourth house last in the last SIX weeks!!! We thought you were trying to end homelessness?!?!!! For well over six years, Andy Burnham was one of the most vocal and passionate political supporters of #ExcludedUK, campaigning WITH us for the millions of hardworking UK taxpayers who were wholly or partially excluded from meaningful Covid-19 financial support. These included freelancers, the self-employed, small business owners, company directors and thousands of people, including those working in the TV and film industries, many of whom saw their livelihoods disappear overnight. Andy did not simply offer a few words of sympathy. He actively campaigned alongside us, co-hosting several events with Jennifer Griffiths, Head of ExcludedUK, speaking directly to our members, listening to their devastating experiences and repeatedly pledging his support. 🎥 WATCH THE ATTACHED VIDEO In this recording, Andy Burnham promises to pursue financial remedy AND a public apology for those so appallingly let down. He knew the human cost of exclusion. He knew that at least 40 people had taken their own lives, with their deaths reported to ExcludedUK in connection with the devastating consequences of being denied support. He has described the exclusion as "indefensible" and said a solution was "fair, proportionate and doable". Yet since becoming Prime Minister, the man who stood beside us for well over six years appears to have fallen silent. 📩 Our emails and messages to Andy Burnham have gone unanswered. 📩 Our correspondence to Chancellor @JohnHealey_MP has also failed to secure the answers and action we have been seeking. 💔 Families are still grieving. Lives and livelihoods remain shattered. People are still living with the financial and psychological consequences of decisions made more than six years ago. Attemtped suicides are still a regular occurence! Not even the promised apology has materialised. 💥 An apology costs NOTHING! No Treasury funding. No Budget allocation. No complicated financial calculations. An apology is FREE, and that is something we can ALL afford! So, Andy, we ask you: ❓ #IsItOK to promise hope to millions of people and then leave them waiting when you finally have the power to deliver? ❓ #IsItOK to acknowledge the devastating human cost of exclusion but still fail to provide even a public apology? ❓ #IsItOK for those who dutifully paid into the system, but were deliberately left out, to still be fighting for justice more than SIX YEARS later? Andy, you stood with us when you were campaigning. We need you to stand with us now that you are in power. 3.8 MILLION PEOPLE HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN. We are not going away. #ExcludedUK #IsItOK #TheLastLeg #AndyBurnham #JohnHealey #Channel4 #AdamHills #JoshWiddicombe #AlexBrooker #TVandFilm #Freelancers #SelfEmployed #Covid19 #CovidSupport #ExcludedFighter #WeAreNotGoingAway #Relentless
12
9
1,104
ExcludedUK Official retweeted
Replying to @MelJStride
Mel, follow Sir Graham Brady and @darrenjones! Stand up for thousands of #ExcludedUK constituents across #Okehampton #Teignbridge #Devon. You challenged your own Gov during COVID. They NOW need the restitution that @andyburnham long called for? @CommonsTreasury @Meg_HillierMP
Yesterday Chair @MelJStride asked @Jesse_Norman about our report on #GapsInSupport. The minister said that the Government will consider the Committee's recommendations carefully. Find out more here: houseofcommons.shorthandstor… #ExcludedUK #ForgottenLtd #newstarterjustice
17
11
401
ExcludedUK Official retweeted
👏Rupert, thank you for standing with the #ExcludedUK outside Parliament for #Budget and for saying that our video van is brilliant. Your support matters with so many still suffering. Please urge the NOW tin-eared @andyburnham to honor his pledge of restitution. ⚖️ @ExcludedUK
Sole traders. Micro businesses with one or two employees. Freelancers. Plumbers. Electricians. Hairdressers. Mechanics. Accountants. Gardeners. Whatever it is, whoever they are. These are the workers that keep the economy going. Not the big global corporates. Politicians, and those devising the rules, simply do not understand how these people live. Nobody ever even talks about the one or two people operations in Westminster. Saturday morning in the bureaucrat’s world? Friday working from home, so nice easy day to finish off the week. Laptop closed by 15.00. Phone off for the weekend, not a care in the world. Life is sweet. Holiday coming up, mortgage comfortable, pension growing nicely. The sole trader? Getting invoices and paperwork sorted at 6am before the children wake up. Chasing up late payments. Weighing up whether to do that last minute emergency call out, or spend time with the kids on a Saturday. Getting the diary sorted for next week. Phone goes and goes all weekend. It is never-ending. It does not stop. It’s two different worlds honestly. The issue is that the latter entirely funds the former, and the former is hellbent on making life as difficult as possible for productive Britain. I want to be really clear about what Restore Britain would do. Two things. Crush parasitic Britain. Unleash productive Britain. First. Scrap IR35. It has created years of confusion, fear and chaos for contractors and small operators. It has pushed countless self-employed people into pointless paperwork and rigid inflexibility. Doesn’t work. It’s a right pain in the arse for millions. Scrap it. Second, we will double the VAT threshold. The current threshold traps thousands of small businesses just as they begin to grow. Many deliberately stop expanding to avoid the enormous administrative burden of VAT and the brutal cost hikes which drive demand away. The evidence of is obvious. Thousands hover just below the threshold, refusing to grow, hire or pay more tax. It is ABSURD. Restore Britain would double the VAT threshold so small businesses can grow without being punished for success. This is absolutely necessary. An important one - we would dramatically simplify the tax system for sole traders and micro-businesses (and everyone else, but that's separate). Instead of forcing small operators through pages of complicated accounting rules designed for large corporations, we will introduce a far simplified tax regime for businesses below a certain size. Less paperwork, fewer forms, clearer rules. More money for them, less for the accountants and parasitic professional class. Sounds like a good deal, doesn’t it? Next. We will end the endless culture of inspections and bureaucratic interference from the bureaucrats. Too many small businesses now live in fear of accidental breaches - whether it’s health and safety nonsense, employment law complexity, ridiculous data laws or constantly changing compliance requirements. The stress is immense. If you are a sole trader or micro-business acting in good faith, the system should support you, not threaten you. Restore Britain will free them from endless regulatory suffocation. The mental health release on that is worth it alone. Means a lot to me, this one. Restore Britain will make it easier for tradespeople to hire apprentices. This is important. One of the biggest problems small businesses face is bringing in the next generation. The current system is too complicated, too expensive and too rigid for small firms. Restore Britain will introduce simple, flexible apprenticeship schemes designed specifically for small businesses and trades. Up next, we will simplify planning and licensing rules. For small builders, tradespeople and contractors - planning restrictions and local bureaucracy can delay work for months and add unnecessary costs. I detest planning departments more than I can describe in language appropriate for a Saturday morning. These jumped-up empire-building little runts running councils across Britain will have their power stripped away from them. We will let people do business, we will let business owners run their businesses without the sneering council worker’s constant box ticking. Not complicated. We will restore respect for the self-employed. Look at how they were treated during lockdown. Like dirt. Entirely abandoned whilst others were paid to do nothing. That must be addressed, and they must be compensated. The excluded must finally be recognised. That wrong must be rectified. Under a Restore Britain Government, their efforts will be appreciated, celebrated and most importantly? Rewarded. This is the key point. Let’s not pretend otherwise. The five golden rules of business. What’s in it for me? We will radically slash tax and raise thresholds. Tax on dividends would be hacked down so that success pays. More work, pays. Effort, pays. If the electrician does that last minute job on a Saturday, it will be worth their time. They will be rewarded, not HMRC. Restore Britain will slash the bureaucracy, simplify the rules, cut the taxes. We will give small businesses the freedom they need to thrive, to support their families and to succeed. Parasitic Britain will end. Sole traders and micro businesses finally have a political party that will fight for them. Restore Britain.
16
10
439
ExcludedUK Official retweeted
Replying to @gregorpoynton
👏 Door-knocking matters, but so does following the lead of @HannahKBardell, as many of #ExcludedUK in #Livingston #Scotland remain in poverty, so they now require your voice to @andyburnham for the financial redress he long called for? @ExcludedUK @BBCScotlandNews @elcourier
📢 #IsItOK to campaign alongside 3.8 million excluded UK taxpayers for over SIX YEARS, promise them justice, then fall silent when you become Prime Minister? @andyburnham, we are still waiting for answers. #IsItOK that another #ExcludedUK member was made homeless last Friday... the fourth house last in the last SIX weeks!!! We thought you were trying to end homelessness?!?!!! For well over six years, Andy Burnham was one of the most vocal and passionate political supporters of #ExcludedUK, campaigning WITH us for the millions of hardworking UK taxpayers who were wholly or partially excluded from meaningful Covid-19 financial support. These included freelancers, the self-employed, small business owners, company directors and thousands of people, including those working in the TV and film industries, many of whom saw their livelihoods disappear overnight. Andy did not simply offer a few words of sympathy. He actively campaigned alongside us, co-hosting several events with Jennifer Griffiths, Head of ExcludedUK, speaking directly to our members, listening to their devastating experiences and repeatedly pledging his support. 🎥 WATCH THE ATTACHED VIDEO In this recording, Andy Burnham promises to pursue financial remedy AND a public apology for those so appallingly let down. He knew the human cost of exclusion. He knew that at least 40 people had taken their own lives, with their deaths reported to ExcludedUK in connection with the devastating consequences of being denied support. He has described the exclusion as "indefensible" and said a solution was "fair, proportionate and doable". Yet since becoming Prime Minister, the man who stood beside us for well over six years appears to have fallen silent. 📩 Our emails and messages to Andy Burnham have gone unanswered. 📩 Our correspondence to Chancellor @JohnHealey_MP has also failed to secure the answers and action we have been seeking. 💔 Families are still grieving. Lives and livelihoods remain shattered. People are still living with the financial and psychological consequences of decisions made more than six years ago. Attemtped suicides are still a regular occurence! Not even the promised apology has materialised. 💥 An apology costs NOTHING! No Treasury funding. No Budget allocation. No complicated financial calculations. An apology is FREE, and that is something we can ALL afford! So, Andy, we ask you: ❓ #IsItOK to promise hope to millions of people and then leave them waiting when you finally have the power to deliver? ❓ #IsItOK to acknowledge the devastating human cost of exclusion but still fail to provide even a public apology? ❓ #IsItOK for those who dutifully paid into the system, but were deliberately left out, to still be fighting for justice more than SIX YEARS later? Andy, you stood with us when you were campaigning. We need you to stand with us now that you are in power. 3.8 MILLION PEOPLE HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN. We are not going away. #ExcludedUK #IsItOK #TheLastLeg #AndyBurnham #JohnHealey #Channel4 #AdamHills #JoshWiddicombe #AlexBrooker #TVandFilm #Freelancers #SelfEmployed #Covid19 #CovidSupport #ExcludedFighter #WeAreNotGoingAway #Relentless
11
7
213
ExcludedUK Official retweeted
🌹 Hope must NOW mean ACTION Preet, as you know, many #ExcludedUK are your constituents in #Birmingham #Edgbaston and remain trapped in debt, poverty & hardship. 40+ lives lost. Stand with them again and demand @andyburnham delivers the redress he long championed! 💔 @bbcmtd
📺WATCH: The Chancellor's been too slow to act at every stage. Over 1m people have lost their jobs, redundancies at record highs, unemployment rising & millions of self-employed still left w/o support. The Chancellor needs to stop making excuses & get a grip of this crisis #PMQs
1
11
9
448
ExcludedUK Official retweeted
Replying to @ChiOnwurah
👏 But what about your #ExcludedUK constituents in #Newcastle Central abandoned during COVID and many now in abject poverty. They need more than breathing space. They need the restitution that @AndyBurnhamGM said must happen @ExcludedUK👇 @newcastleherald @itvtynetees @UKLabour
Millions have been excluded from all support during this pandemic, thousands in #NewcastleCentral alone. The Chancellor denied it but my mailbox, & the experiences of @ExcludedUK make it clear ppl are being left out through no fault of their own!
9
6
268
ExcludedUK Official retweeted
Replying to @JamesMelville
If I was @UKLabour PM, I’d stand by every word and pledge I’d made to 3.8 million #ExcludedUK citizens over the years and not now ignore them. I’d have ordered @hmtreasury to issue long-overdue cheques of restitution at the Budget #JusticeDelayedIsJusticeDenied @ExcludedUK💔
📢 #IsItOK to campaign alongside 3.8 million excluded UK taxpayers for over SIX YEARS, promise them justice, then fall silent when you become Prime Minister? @andyburnham, we are still waiting for answers. #IsItOK that another #ExcludedUK member was made homeless last Friday... the fourth house last in the last SIX weeks!!! We thought you were trying to end homelessness?!?!!! For well over six years, Andy Burnham was one of the most vocal and passionate political supporters of #ExcludedUK, campaigning WITH us for the millions of hardworking UK taxpayers who were wholly or partially excluded from meaningful Covid-19 financial support. These included freelancers, the self-employed, small business owners, company directors and thousands of people, including those working in the TV and film industries, many of whom saw their livelihoods disappear overnight. Andy did not simply offer a few words of sympathy. He actively campaigned alongside us, co-hosting several events with Jennifer Griffiths, Head of ExcludedUK, speaking directly to our members, listening to their devastating experiences and repeatedly pledging his support. 🎥 WATCH THE ATTACHED VIDEO In this recording, Andy Burnham promises to pursue financial remedy AND a public apology for those so appallingly let down. He knew the human cost of exclusion. He knew that at least 40 people had taken their own lives, with their deaths reported to ExcludedUK in connection with the devastating consequences of being denied support. He has described the exclusion as "indefensible" and said a solution was "fair, proportionate and doable". Yet since becoming Prime Minister, the man who stood beside us for well over six years appears to have fallen silent. 📩 Our emails and messages to Andy Burnham have gone unanswered. 📩 Our correspondence to Chancellor @JohnHealey_MP has also failed to secure the answers and action we have been seeking. 💔 Families are still grieving. Lives and livelihoods remain shattered. People are still living with the financial and psychological consequences of decisions made more than six years ago. Attemtped suicides are still a regular occurence! Not even the promised apology has materialised. 💥 An apology costs NOTHING! No Treasury funding. No Budget allocation. No complicated financial calculations. An apology is FREE, and that is something we can ALL afford! So, Andy, we ask you: ❓ #IsItOK to promise hope to millions of people and then leave them waiting when you finally have the power to deliver? ❓ #IsItOK to acknowledge the devastating human cost of exclusion but still fail to provide even a public apology? ❓ #IsItOK for those who dutifully paid into the system, but were deliberately left out, to still be fighting for justice more than SIX YEARS later? Andy, you stood with us when you were campaigning. We need you to stand with us now that you are in power. 3.8 MILLION PEOPLE HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN. We are not going away. #ExcludedUK #IsItOK #TheLastLeg #AndyBurnham #JohnHealey #Channel4 #AdamHills #JoshWiddicombe #AlexBrooker #TVandFilm #Freelancers #SelfEmployed #Covid19 #CovidSupport #ExcludedFighter #WeAreNotGoingAway #Relentless
13
13
382
ExcludedUK Official retweeted
Replying to @iancharris
Abu Dhabi Andy! Just wonder now if 3.8 #excludeduk taxpayers actually KNOW the real @andyburnham ??? Its like having a body double as @10DowningStreet at the moment! Which version of AB said this 👇👇👇🤷‍♀️🤔 @ExcludedUK @ExcludedFighter @susannareid100 @GMB @cathynewman
11
6
113
ExcludedUK Official retweeted
MEDIA RELEASE FROM #ExcludedUK FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday 28 October 2026 PM ANDY BURNHAM WILL REGRET THIS! 20 PROMISES CAUGHT ON VIDEO AS EXCLUDEDUK DEMANDS ANSWERS ON BUDGET DAY Six years of promises, no financial redress and not even the apology he pledged to pursue. ExcludedUK confronts the Prime Minister with his own words as Chancellor John Healey delivers the Autumn Budget. 4 houses and 2 businesses lost in the last 6 weeks alone!!!! WATCH THE VIDEO: youtu.be/Yjm6ag4m1xI Prime Minister Andy Burnham has spent more than six years publicly championing the plight of the estimated 3.8 million UK taxpayers excluded from meaningful Covid-19 financial support. Now ExcludedUK is reminding him of 20 promises and commitments captured on video, as the Government delivers its first Autumn Budget under his leadership. Words of support. Promises of action. Commitments to justice. Reassurances that the campaign would not be forgotten. All caught on camera. All waiting to be honoured. For years, Andy Burnham was one of ExcludedUK's most vocal political supporters, participating in numerous campaign events and repeatedly expressing his determination to see the injustice rectified. Now, as Prime Minister, he has the opportunity to turn those words into meaningful action. Jennifer Griffiths, Head of ExcludedUK, who personally co-hosted several events with Andy Burnham, said: "Andy Burnham was one of our loudest and most passionate political champions. I co-hosted several events with him, and time and time again, he made commitments to support our fight for justice. "He told us financial redress was fair, proportionate and doable. He spoke about the injustice being indefensible. He understood the devastation caused to people who had dutifully paid into the system, only to be abandoned when they needed help most. "He pledged to pursue an apology. He spoke about putting things right. He told us that the passage of time did not change the injustice. "Now he is Prime Minister, and we are still waiting. "Not even the apology has materialised. An apology costs absolutely nothing, yet six years later, we are still waiting for that too. "Andy, we believed you. Our members believed you. Your words gave people hope when many had absolutely none left. "Those commitments were not whispered behind closed doors. They were made publicly, repeatedly, and we have them on video. "Twenty promises and commitments. Twenty reminders of the hope you gave us. Twenty reasons why we are not going away. "You told us this injustice could and should be rectified. Now you have the authority to help make that happen. "Prime Minister, we are holding you to your word." THE AUTUMN BUDGET: WHERE IS THE JUSTICE FOR EXCLUDED TAXPAYERS? As Chancellor John Healey delivers the Government's Autumn Budget today, ExcludedUK is demanding answers about the continuing absence of a financial remedy for those excluded from the Covid-19 support schemes. The Chancellor has promised a Budget focused on supporting British businesses, easing financial pressures and restoring hope. ExcludedUK recognises the importance of helping households, businesses and the self-employed through today's economic challenges. However, the campaign questions how the Government can speak of fairness and opportunity while the financial devastation experienced by excluded taxpayers remains unresolved. During the pandemic, billions of pounds were distributed through Government financial support schemes, yet an estimated 3.8 million taxpayers found themselves falling through the gaps. Many were self-employed workers, limited company directors, freelancers, new starters, people on maternity leave and small business owners. They were taxpayers who had contributed to the country's finances, only to discover that the support available to others was inaccessible to them. Dutifully paid in. Deliberately left out. The consequences have been catastrophic. Businesses have closed. Family homes have been lost. Relationships have broken down. People's physical and mental health has deteriorated. Tragically, the campaign has also supported families bereaved by suicide and members who have survived suicide attempts. For these people, the impact of exclusion did not end when lockdown restrictions were lifted. Jennifer Griffiths continued: "We hear politicians talk about supporting entrepreneurs, investing in small businesses and rewarding hardworking taxpayers. "Yet what about those taxpayers who lost everything because they were excluded from the financial lifelines offered to others? "How can we talk about rebuilding Britain's economy without acknowledging the businesses that were destroyed and the people whose financial security was shattered? "You cannot build a fairer Britain by continuing to overlook those who were unfairly excluded. "We are not asking for special treatment. We are asking for parity, accountability and justice. "Every Budget that passes without addressing this injustice is another reminder of the promises that remain unfulfilled." EXCLUDEDUK TAKES THE EVIDENCE DIRECTLY TO PARLIAMENT Today, Wednesday 28 October 2026, ExcludedUK is taking its message directly to Westminster. A digital video van is circulating Parliament Square between 9.00 am and 5.00 pm, displaying powerful testimonies from excluded taxpayers, the human consequences of exclusion and the political commitments made to the campaign. The van is taking the voices of those who have been ignored for more than six years directly to the heart of Government. The campaign is also drawing attention to footage of Andy Burnham's repeated commitments to ExcludedUK. Watch the video of his promises here: youtu.be/Yjm6ag4m1xI WHAT EXCLUDEDUK IS DEMANDING Our three demands remain unchanged: 1. An apology from Government so this injustice is recognised, together with an assurance that this will never happen again. 2. Parity of support 3. Acknowledgement of loss of earnings/profit and consequential loss. These demands are not new. They are the same fundamental principles of fairness and accountability that ExcludedUK has been fighting for since May 2020. We dutifully paid in, but were deliberately left out. Lives and livelihoods lost. More than 40 lives have been lost to suicide among those affected by exclusion, according to ExcludedUK's records, while our dedicated mental health and welfare team has provided vital support to hundreds of people experiencing severe distress. "PRIME MINISTER, WE HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN. HAVE YOU?" Jennifer Griffiths concluded: "Andy Burnham once told us that the passage of time did not change the injustice. He was right. "Six years have passed, but those words are as relevant today as they were when he first spoke them. "The difference is that he is no longer simply a politician offering support from the sidelines. "He is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. "He has the opportunity to demonstrate that those promises were more than words. "Twenty promises and commitments, all captured on video. Millions of taxpayers still waiting for justice. "To those who have lost their businesses, their homes, their livelihoods and, in some tragic cases, their loved ones, this is about far more than politics. "It is about accountability. It is about fairness. It is about restoring faith in the promises made by those who seek our trust. "Prime Minister, we haven't forgotten. Have you? "We Are Not Going Away. We Are Relentless." ENDS NOTES TO EDITORS About ExcludedUK ExcludedUK is a grassroots campaign representing the estimated 3.8 million UK taxpayers excluded from meaningful Government financial support during the Covid-19 pandemic. The campaign seeks parity of financial support, official recognition, accountability and fair financial redress for those affected. ExcludedUK works alongside the Gaps in Covid-19 Financial Support All-Party Parliamentary Group to raise awareness of the long-term consequences of exclusion. Video of Andy Burnham's commitments to ExcludedUK: youtu.be/Yjm6ag4m1xI Budget Day campaign activity: ExcludedUK digital video van, Parliament Square, Westminster, Wednesday 28 October 2026, 9.30 am to 5.30 pm Media enquiries: Jennifer Griffiths Head of ExcludedUK [email protected] Website: excludeduk.org #ExcludedUK #WeAreNotGoingAway #Relentless Come on @andyburnham ... remember your promises to #ExcludedUK members and fulfil your promise to stand by the excluded! youtu.be/Yjm6ag4m1xI 🚨PLEASE SIGN AND SHARE OUR EXCLUDEDUK PETITION🚨 ✍️ PLEASE SIGN IT HERE: WHILST WE ARE WAITING FOR PM ANDY BURNHAM TO HAND OUT THE PARITY HE PROMISED…. 🚨THIS IS HOW YOU CAN HELP….🚨 ✍️ SIGN our Parliamentary petition petition.parliament.uk/petit… 💜 DONATE to help fund the campaign: buymeacoffee.com/excludeduk 🌐 VISIT our website to learn more about ExcludedUK excludeduk.org 🔗 FOLLOW & SHAREour Linktree to find all our social media channels and campaign links linktr.ee/excludedukofficial 📣 SHARE our posts and help keep #ExcludedUK visible 🏛️ CONTACT YOUR MPand ask them to support ExcludedUK and the Gaps in Covid-19 Financial Support APPG.. even ask them to join by emailing [email protected] Every signature, donation, share and voice helps. @JohnHealey_MP @ExcludedFighter @SadieMHarris @JohnMartinComic @inkbyboston @harrisonmaxwell @NickFerrariLBC @ITVX @PA @ExcludedUK @andyburnham @JohnHealey_MP @downingstreet @switherdenMP @MP4Stratford @AlPinkerton @gregsmith_uk @RichardNewby3 @ExcludedFighter @SadieMHarris @APPGGapsSupport @UKLabour @LibDems @Conservatives @theSNP @reformparty_uk @thisisyourparty @Plaid_Cymru @TheGreenParty @thatginamiller @MartinSLewis @JohnDCaudwell @itvnews @GMB @GBNEWS @BigIssue @LBC @itvnews @BBCNews @PA @AP @BBCBreakfast #Excluded #Covid19 #APPG #PMQs #FinancialRedress #BounceBackLoans #MentalHealth #justicefortheexcluded
7
37
36
1,687
ExcludedUK Official retweeted
OVER 100 days now and @andyburnham CHOOSES to IGNORE 3.8 MILLION #excludeduk hardworking! When @UKLabour needed ticks in boxes, he told us that he supports doable financial redress! NOW?!? Radio silence! Is this what you call HOPE @10DowningStreet ?!! @ExcludedFighter @ExcludedUK @susannareid100 @GMB
9
6
221
"We will back you all of the way." All the way to WHERE, @AndyBurnham? Six years later, the excluded are still without justice, an apology or financial redress. #ExcludedUK #Relentless
9
4
92