Coronavirus-hit UK economy shrinks by a fifth in first month of lockdown

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned of a ‘tough’ few months ahead.

The UK’s economy shrank by 20.4% in April – the largest monthly contraction on record – as the country spent its first full month in lockdown due to Covid-19.

The fall massively outstripped the then-record 5.8% drop in March of gross domestic product (GDP) that the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported last month.