Gordon Brown: To lead Britain through a crisis, you have to be able to see beyond it

When the economy collapsed in 2008, I had to think ahead. I fear too little thought has been given to our recovery after coronavirus

Our country's Covid-19 crisis, together with the economic crisis the pandemic brought with it, is not over. In fact, it is entering a dangerous new phase.

With the UK economy collapsing by 25% in March and April - a fall twice as bad as those in Europe and the US and now only halfway back to pre-crisis level - a recovery plan is needed: closer to France's 90bn, Germany's 115bn and the US's 1tn is required, not the 30bn announced by the chancellor in July.

Related: What now for Britain's economy - a new direction, or business as usual? | Larry Elliott