New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have revealed the UK economy to surge by 6.6% in July.
Whilst it was lower than the 8.7% growth in June, the growth shows a steady path to recovery.
The economy remains 11.7% the peak lows amid the Coronavirus pandemic, as the UK fell into the worst recession on record.
The latest figures come as the furlough scheme is coming to an end. There is growing pressure on the government to extend the scheme or provide support to those who still cannot work amid Coronvirus and social distancing rules.
Darren Morgan, director of economic statistics at the ONS, said: “While it has continued steadily on the path towards recovery, the UK economy still has to make up nearly half of the GDP lost since the start of the pandemic.”
In the latest figures, the service sector grew by 6.1%, the production grew by 5.2%, and construction surged by 17.6%.
Rishi Sunak commented on the update: “While today’s figures are welcome, I know that many people are rightly worried about the coming months or have already had their job or incomes affected.”
“That’s why supporting jobs is our first priority and why we’ve outlined a comprehensive Plan for Jobs to ensure nobody is left without hope or opportunity.”
“We’re helping people return to work with a £1,000 retention bonus for jobs brought back from furlough. And we are creating new roles for young people with our Kickstart scheme, introducing incentives for training and apprenticeships, and supporting and protecting jobs in the tourism and hospitality sectors through our VAT cut and last month’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme,” he added.
