Millionaire Hit Singer James Blunt Uses Taxpayers Cash To Furlough Up To 25 Staff At His Chelsea Pub

Millionaire Hit Singer James Blunt Uses Taxpayers Cash To Furlough Up To 25 Staff At His Chelsea Pub.

Millionaire Hit Singer James Blunt has allegedly used taxpayers cash to furlough up to 25 staff at his Chelsea pub. The singer, worth an estimated £14.5million, laughed off suggestions he’s run out of money from his 2004 hit single ‘You’re Beautiful’.

The ‘You’re Beautiful’ musician has claimed taxpayers cash through the government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to furlough staff, despite being worth an estimated £14.5million. Blunt, 46, is the sole director of pub business Blunt Trading Ltd, which has 25 employees. He owns the gastropub the Fox and Pheasant in Chelsea, which like all bars is closed under the current coronavirus restrictions.

More rich celebs claim furlough

Director Guy Ritchie has also allegedly used taxpayer money to pay his staff through the government’s furlough scheme. Mr Ritchie, 52, who is worth roughly £110million, angered MPs by using the scheme despite his riches.

An investigation by the Sun on Sunday found Mr Ritchie had been using the government’s scheme. So far the furlough scheme, intended for business owners who couldn’t afford to pay staff throughout coronavirus lockdowns, has cost more than £50billion.

MPs said last night that multi-millionaires should have enough money to pay their staff in full in the same way Ed Sheeran did.  Guy Ritchie, who is worth roughly £110million, angered MPs by using the scheme despite his riches

Conservative Pauline Latham told the publication: ‘When the scheme launched, the Chancellor was thinking of small to medium-sized business, not millionaire celebrities or wealthy unions.

‘This is certainly not in the spirit of the scheme. Lots of firms have worked incredibly hard to keep all of their staff employed.  So it’s unfair when these people and organisations could clearly afford to keep them on the payroll.’

Mr Ritchie, 52, who was married to Madonna until 2008 and is now wedded to Jacqui Ainsley-Ritchie, owns a £27million 1,000-acre estate in Wiltshire.

Victoria Beckham had sparked outrage after it emerged she has furloughed 30 staff members across her fashion label last year. Under the Job Retention Scheme, Ms Beckham placed 30 members of staff on furlough until the end of June 2020. The Government scheme paid up to 80 per cent of staff salaries while her own company paid the remaining 20.

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