The chancellor, Rishi Sunak, said the economic recovery had slowed down into the autumn and further again after September due to coronavirus restrictions, after GDP figures released on Thursday showed a record gain of 15.5% was lower than expected.
The ONS reports that UK GDP grew by 1.1% in September 2020, below the 1.5% City economists had expected. But it also means the economy has grown for five months running, after a record fall of 19.5% in April