China News Service, June 13, according to a report by the "Central News Agency", affected by the new crown epidemic, the UK's gross domestic product (GDP) shrank by 20.4% in April, the largest monthly decline in history. The British Prime Minister Johnson is facing increasing pressure to lift the ban as soon as possible and let the society function again.
Data map: "conditional unblocking" in the UK. Travelling Londoners sit on a bench at Earl's Court Station.
According to data released by the British National Bureau of Statistics, in April, the service industry, which dominated the British economy, fell by 19%, the manufacturing industry fell by 24.3%, and the construction industry fell by 40.1%. The overall economy was severely affected by the New Coronavirus epidemic. Following a 5.8% decline in March this year, UK GDP fell by 20.4% in April, the largest decline since a record in 1997.
British Prime Minister Johnson said that he was "not surprised" by this number. He said: "We have known for a long time that this epidemic is undoubtedly a serious public health crisis, and it will also bring a very serious economic impact."
Data map: British Prime Minister Johnson.
Johnson said that the British economy relies heavily on the service industry and relies on people-to-person contact, so it is extremely traumatized.
The Johnson government is under pressure to restore life to normal as soon as possible and stimulate public consumption. However, although the government has opened stores that sell non-essential items from the 15th to resume business, the policy of maintaining a social distance of 2 meters has not been lifted, and many service industries are still deeply affected.
The Times reported that Alister Jack, the Secretary of State in charge of Scottish affairs, was the first cabinet member to join the lobby, hoping that the government would shorten the social distance to 1 meter. However, the Johnson administration has not resigned so far.