A think tank has warned that over 1.7 million self-employed workers will earn below the National Living Wage when it comes in this April.

The Social Market Foundation (SMF) has said that its research raises concerns that the introduction of the higher National Living Wage may provide an "added incentive" for firms to engage self-employed contractors rather than take them on in-house.

Official statistics estimate that one in seven workers in the UK is self-employed and the SMF has said that they will typically earn far less than their employed counterparts on both an hourly and monthly basis.