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UK economy officially in recession

Published

6 years ago

2020/08/13

The UK economy has shrunk by 20.4% between April and June, when the coronavirus lockdown was at its most severe. Experts say the downturn brought on by the pandemic led to the biggest fall in quarterly GDP on record.

The UK on Wednesday officially fell into recession for the first time in 11 years. The economy collapsed by a record 20.4% in the second quarter, compared to the first quarter, as a result of coronavirus lockdown measures imposed to contain the outbreak, agency reports said.

Between April and June, household spending plunged as businesses were ordered to shut down, while industries such as construction rolled back on output and production.

“The recession brought on by the coronavirus pandemic has led to the biggest fall in quarterly GDP on record,” Jonathan Athow of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

Data from the ONS showed that the UK economy had a 2.2% quarterly contraction in the first three months of the year.

The technical definition of a recession is two straight quarters of economic decline.

The economic decline was concentrated in April — the peak of lockdown.

The ONS said the economy bounced back in June as the government started to relax coronavirus restrictions.

Non-essential retailers in England, including clothes shops and bookshops, reopened their doors on June 15.

“The economy began to bounce back in June with shops reopening, factories beginning to ramp up production and house-building continuing to recover,” Athow said. But “Despite this, gross domestic product (GDP) in June still remains a sixth below its level in February, before the virus struck,” he added.

The UK’s service sector, which makes up four fifths of the economy, suffered the biggest quarterly decline on record. Car manufacturing, meanwhile, faced its slowest production rate since 1955.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak warned that the economic slump would lead to further job losses in the coming months.

“Today’s figures confirm that hard times are here,” Sunak said. “Hundreds of thousands of people have already lost their jobs, and sadly, in the coming months many more will.”

Some 1.2 million employers have taken advantage of the government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to furlough 9.6 million people at a cost to the government of 33.8 billion pounds ($44 billion, €38 billion).

Sunak said he is ending the program in October because it gives “false hope” to furloughed workers and hinders them from getting new jobs as their skills decline.

The UK’s recession is deeper than those recorded by comparable countries such as the US and other European economies, notably Germany and France.

Germany’s governing coalition in June agreed on a €130 billion stimulus package to help pull the country’s economy out of recession. The government hoped the package would ease Germans’ financial strain and boost consumer spending.

In comparison to other European countries, Germany’s almost one month of lockdown was relatively short. But the German economy still went into recession in the first quarter of 2020.

Unemployment in May rose from 5.8% to 6.3%, figures which could have been higher if it were not for Germany’s “kurzarbeit” program, a wage subsidy scheme that allows struggling companies to decrease employees’ working hours instead of making them redundant.

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President meets senior officials of the Urban Development Authority

Published

4 hours ago

2026/05/18

Priyan

A discussion between President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and senior officials of the Urban Development Authority (UDA) was held this afternoon (18) at the Presidential Secretariat.

The meeting focused extensively on new development projects planned by the Urban Development Authority. The President emphasised the need to ensure that the budgetary allocations made for these projects in the current year are utilised effectively within the same financial year.

Detailed discussions were also held on projects planned to be implemented jointly by multiple institutions, including the importance of holding consultations with all relevant agencies to reach final decisions and the need to clearly define responsibilities for each institution in both implementation and maintenance phases of the projects.

Attention was drawn to key initiatives such as the Kelani River flood control project, water management projects in Colombo city and the Beira Lake restoration project. The need for a dedicated programme for low-income housing in areas such as Ratmalana and Moratuwa was also highlighted. During the discussion, Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development Bimal Rathnayake underscored the importance of introducing a structured management framework for the effective coordination of certain projects.

Deputy Minister of Urban Development, Eranga Gunasekara, Secretary to the Ministry of Transport, Highways and Urban Development, Senior Professor Kapila C.K. Perera, Chairman of the Urban Development Authority (UDA), M.G. Hemachandra and the Heads representing the Urban Settlement Development Authority (USDA), Sri Lanka Land Development Corporation (SLLDC), National Physical Planning Department (NPPD) and the Condominium Management Authority (CMA) were also present at the meeting.

(PMD)

News

CEAT Kelani Branch Inter-Company Employees’ Union makes donation to the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund

Published

4 hours ago

2026/05/18

Priyan

The Inter-Company Employees’ Union of the Kelaniya Branch of CEAT Sri Lanka has made a financial donation of Rs. 1,148,000.00, a day’s salary of its members to the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund established to support the restoration of livelihoods and the rebuilding of areas affected by cyclone Ditwah.

Secretary of the Inter-Company Employees’ Union of the CEAT Kelani Branch, D.G.S.D. Navaratne, handed over the donation to the Chief of Staff to the President, Prabhath Chandrakeerthi at the Presidential Secretariat this morning (18).

Treasurer of the Inter-Company Employees’ Union of the CEAT Kelani Branch, Y.P.I.C. Karunathilaka, together with members of the Executive Committee, were also present on the occasion.

(PMD)

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Prime Minister off to the United Kingdom to participate in the 22nd Annual Commonwealth Education Forum

Published

6 hours ago

2026/05/18

Priyan

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya departed on an official visit to the United Kingdom to participate in the 22nd Annual Commonwealth Education Forum and the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) 2026 Board of Governors Meeting.

During the visit, the Prime Minister is scheduled to participate in several high-level academic and diplomatic engagements aimed at strengthening cooperation in the fields of education, development studies, research collaboration, and international partnerships.

As part of the visit, the Prime Minister will meet with Ms.Bridget Phillipson, Secretary of State for Education of the United Kingdom, at the UK Department for Education, to discuss areas of cooperation in education and related sectors. She is also expected to meet Ms.Yvette Cooper, Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom, for discussions on matters of bilateral interest and cooperation between Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom.

In addition, the Prime Minister is expected to meet Ms.Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, on the sidelines of the 22nd Annual Commonwealth Education Forum and the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) 2026 Board of Governors Meeting.

During the visit, the Prime Minister will attend a public event at the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex and she will also take part in the ceremony marking the 60th Anniversary of the Institute of Development Studies. The Prime Minister is also scheduled to address a session at the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies at the University of Oxford, followed by a question-and-answer session with scholars and students.

The visit is expected to strengthen Sri Lanka’s engagement with academic institutions, international development partners, and Commonwealth member states, particularly in the areas of education, research, policy dialogue, and capacity building.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]