Britain’s economy grew for a third straight month in July, expanding by 6.6% as lockdown restrictions eased, but has yet to recover even half of the output lost to the coronavirus pandemic, the national statistics agency, said on Friday.
The expansion, which was in line with expectations for a rise of 6.7%, followed June’s 8.7% increase and May’s 2.4% rise. The economy contracted at a record 20.4% pace in April, when the pandemic was at its worst, with over 1,000 deaths a day at one point.
Manufacturing and construction showed improvements, while the services sector, which makes up around three quarters of total economic activity, continued to struggle.