LONDON - The United Kingdom (UK) plunged into its deepest recession on record in the first half of the year as the coronavirus lockdown saw the economy contract by more than a fifth between April and June.

The economy shrank by 20.4 per cent in the second quarter of the year, more than any other G7 nation, taking the UK into its first recession since the 2008-2009 financial crisis.

The dramatic fall in output came after a 2.2 per cent drop in the first three months of the year.

There were signs of a recovery beginning, however, as monthly gross domestic product rose by 8.7 per cent in June - but that is still 17.2 per cent below February 2020 levels, the Office for National Statistics said.

“One million jobs lost and worse to come” is the unsettling splash on this morning’s Daily Mirror.