British economy faces long haul to recovery: Poll 

Last quarter, when a lockdown to quell the spread of the virus was at its tightest, the economy shrank a record 20.4%.

Britain’s economy will not fully recover from its current historic downturn for at least two years, a Reuters poll of economists found, but there is only a slim chance the Bank of England will use negative interest rates to boost the upswing.

Britain has suffered the highest death toll from the coronavirus in Europe, leading to criticism of the UK government’s response to the pandemic.