The much-feared 'scarring' of the UK economy may be happening already

April's PMI data suggests the country will not bounce back quickly after the coronavirus lockdown

Take your pick for which number was more shocking. Was it the reading of 12.9 on the PMI survey of UK business activity in April, a figure that was many degrees worse than any recorded during the 2008 financial crash? Or was it the quadrupling of the government's borrowing requirement to an astonishing 180bn over the next three months?

The dire numbers go hand-in-hand, obviously, but here's the really worrying part for government: the detail in the PMI data, where a number below 50 suggests contraction, offered no support to the hopeful idea that the recovery will be rapid and V-shaped. Instead, the employment index plunged, suggesting the Treasury's various schemes to protect jobs are having only a limited impact. The much-feared "scarring" of the economy may be happening already.

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