United Kingdom: a sharp rebound in the British economy in the second quarter
A truck enters the cross-Channel port at Dover, in the south-east of England, on January 15, 2021 (Image illustration).
REUTERS - JOHN SIBLEY
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
The British economy is experiencing a strong rebound.
After falling 1.6% in the first quarter of 2021, UK GDP is up 4.8% in the second quarter.
However, risks persist, in particular with the outbreak of the Delta variant.
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In the United Kingdom, activity picked up in the second quarter thanks to the gradual lifting of health restrictions, such as the reopening of pubs and restaurants, but also thanks to household spending which increased by 7.3%.
The Minister of Finance, Rishi Sunak welcomes this strong rebound and takes the opportunity to recall that the United Kingdom is the G7 country which obtained the fastest growth rate in the second quarter.
A performance that he justifies by
the policy led
by his government, namely the British plan to support employment and the success of the vast vaccination program.
►Also listen: Brexit: companies are suffering from the haphazard application of the agreement
Even though the British economy has not recovered to its pre-health crisis level, the recovery remains fragile.
To the concerns related to the rise of the Delta variant are added labor problems, in particular truck drivers.
Under the effect of Brexit and the pandemic, 100,000 foreign drivers of heavy goods vehicles are missing, resulting in a major disruption of supplies to stores, to the point of slowing economic activity.
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