UK's growth figures dim hopes of V-shaped recovery from Covid-19

There was nothing inevitable about a weak bounce back - the UK government has delayed the recovery by its dithering

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Britain's recovery from the worst slump in three centuries is going to be long and painful.

That's the only conclusion to be drawn from figures showing the economy barely spluttered back to life in May and predictions by the Treasury's independent forecaster, the Office for Budget Responsibility, that the recovery will take until the end of 2022 at best.