Britain’s economic recovery slowed to a crawl in October as rising coronavirus cases led to tighter restrictions in parts of the country, official figures show.
The economy grew by 0.4 per cent, down from 1.1 per cent in September but in line with forecasts.
The figures from the Office for National Statistics indicate that the economy was slowing even before a strict second nationwide lockdown was imposed across England last month. It is likely to have contracted by as much as 8 per cent in November, its worst performance in months but better than the 20 per cent fall registered during the first lockdown in April. The November data will not be released until next month.
Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, said: “I know people are