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Loose Women chaos as two show legends are embroiled in furious row with bosses ‘over contracts’
Their co-star recently won a row with HMRC over her taxes
LOOSE Women legends Jane Moore and Janet Street Porter are embroiled in a row over contracts.
The pair are reportedly locked in a bitter dispute after being ordered to sign contracts that will change their employment status from freelance to employee.
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The Sun columnist Jane, and newspaper veteran Janet, consider themselves freelance journalists and put their foot down after the contracts labelled them "permananet ITV staff" thus changing their tax codes with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).
The standoff also involves contract issues such as the absence of holiday, sick pay, pension, and restrictions on certain work opportunities.
A source told : "Jane and Janet are furious.
"They have done such a lot for that show and they love it – but… they do different work across different companies and, as journalists, value their independent status.
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"Things have got pretty tense. If it carries on, there might be a big change to the line-up."
The Sun has contacted their reps and Loose Women for comment.
The dispute revolves around ITV's new PAYE-only contracts policy, in response to HMRC's off-payroll working rules that aim to eliminate the use of a 'corporate veil' for high-earning TV presenters.
This policy has already led to the departure of Carol McGiffin last year, who deemed it unreasonable in her Best magazine article.
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She spoke of the "stress" of coming to an agreement with ITV last year.
She said: "I haven't been on the show for two months now because I've had to step away from it.
"It was causing me too much stress, which was mostly down to a difficult contract issue I'd been challenging since January.
"The problem was, ITV were insisting, for the first time since I went back in 2018, that if I wanted to carry on doing the show, I would have to sign a contract that was totally unjust and unworkable for me, so I had to say no thanks.
"And I know it looks like I've thrown my toys out of the pram, but the whole saga was affecting my health."
HMRC officials previously claimed Kaye Adams, another Loose Women star, owed thousands in unpaid taxes.
The Sun told last week how TV presenter Kaye, 61, finally won her 10-year tax dispute after HMRC conceded defeat in her case.
Kaye was successful after a court ruled she was self-employed.
She had pleaded with the tax authority not to appeal and said the stress of the case had been "almost unbearable".
After reviewing the decision, said they will not appeal the judgement.
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HMRC officials had claimed she was an employee and owed thousands in unpaid taxes.
They said she should pay more than £124,000 in tax and National Insurance for her work presenting The Programme on Radio Scotland between 2013 and 2017.
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