Answer: England was economically impacted by the coronavirus pandemic in a number of ways. The most notable impact was the sharp decline in GDP.
Explanation: According to the Office for National Statistics, the UK’s GDP contracted by a record 20.4% in the second quarter of 2020. This was the largest decline in GDP since records began in 1955. The recession has caused a sharp rise in unemployment, with the Office for National Statistics reporting that the unemployment rate in the UK rose to 4.5% in the three months to August 2020, up from 3.9% in the previous quarter. The pandemic has also had an impact on the UK’s public finances. The UK government has had to borrow unprecedented amounts of money to fund its coronavirus response. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) estimates that the UK’s public sector borrowing will reach £394 billion in 2020/21. The economic impact of the pandemic has been felt further afield, with the UK’s trading partners also experiencing sharp declines in GDP. This has had a knock-on effect on UK exports, with the Office for National Statistics reporting that exports of goods and services fell by 21.2% in the second quarter of 2020.