Britain | Nothing too gruesome

Britain’s economy: less scarred by covid-19 than had been feared

Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, has money to play with

ECONOMIC FORECASTING is difficult, especially during a pandemic. On August 12th the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that GDP grew by 4.8% in the second quarter of this year, leaving the economy just 2.2% below its pre-pandemic level. The pace of recovery slowed a little in July as covid-19 cases spiked. Even so, official government forecasts from earlier in the year now look absurdly pessimistic.

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Not too gruesome”

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