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”

China’s attack on tech

From the August 14th 2021 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from Britain

Crew members during the commissioning of HMS Prince of Wales

Has the Royal Navy become too timid?

A new paper examines how its culture has changed

A pedestrian walks across the town square in Stevenage

A plan to reorganise local government in England runs into opposition

Turkeys vote against Christmas


David Lammy, Britain’s foreign secretary

David Lammy’s plan to shake up Britain’s Foreign Office

Diplomats will be tasked with growing the economy and cutting migration


Britain’s government has spooked markets and riled businesses

Tax rises were inevitable. Such a shaky start was not

Labour’s credibility trap

Who can believe Rachel Reeves?