Pimms may bubble post-lockdown, but the future for many is less cheery | Larry Elliott

A quarter of companies caught in the recent lockdown have little or no confidence of recovery

Whisper it softly, but things are starting to look up for the UK economy. Evidence is beginning to accumulate that the easing of lockdown restrictions is allowing activity to return to something like normal.

Naturally enough, there are plenty of caveats. A new and more virulent strain of the virus could sweep across the country leading to the shutters going down again on businesses that have only just opened.