Business and Economics

'Buy the rumour, sell the fact' reaction to the news has left the currency in decline.

A much-altered retail space will greet shoppers when we emerge from the pandemic.

It means the UK’s overall debt is now around 99.5 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), which is a measure of the size of the economy – a level not seen since 1962.

The pound could see a “severe downside shock if there is no deal by Christmas”.

It comes as thousands of lorries queued for miles on Kent roads as businesses sought to transport their goods into the EU before the end of the transition period.

The company faced a backlash from politicians and unions earlier in the year when it first floated the idea of paying out a dividend from excess profits made from its services during the pandemic.

The research comes at a crucial time as policy makers weigh up how pay for the coronavirus pandemic.

“Help from the Government throughout this crisis has often been haphazard – with constant U-turns, delays in policy changes and a lack of leadership."

According to the OECD the British economy is 9.6 per cent smaller than at the end of the third quarter in 2019.