UK is only G7 country with smaller economy than before Covid-19

ONS says GDP grew by 0.2% in three months to June, suggesting Britain is not in recession

A weaker than expected recovery from the coronavirus pandemic has left the UK as the only G7 country with a smaller economy than in early 2020, according to official figures likely to further undermine the government's tax-cutting measures.

Before the prime minister and chancellor's meeting with the head of the government's independent forecaster on Friday morning, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) released figures showing that rather than the economy being 0.6% larger than in February 2020, a combination of a deeper recession during the pandemic and a weak recovery had left it 0.2% smaller.