LONDON – Britain’s economic growth recovery slowed in October, official data showed today, even before the appearance of the Omicron coronavirus variant that has pushed the United Kingdom government to restore restrictions.
Gross domestic product increased 0.1% in October compared with output of 0.6% the previous month, the Office for National Statistics said in a statement.
In response, finance minister Rishi Sunak said the government had “always acknowledged there could be bumps on our road to recovery”.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government will from Monday tighten virus restrictions in England as Omicron cases surge, including guidance to work from home and mandatory Covid-19 passports.
“Last month, it looked as though the UK was on track to return to pre-pandemic levels of GDP by the first quarter of 2022,” said Victoria Scholar, head of investment at Interactive Investor.
“However, the dark cloud of Omicron now threatens the recovery as the government introduces tighter restrictions.” – AFP, December 10, 2021
