Chancellor response to ONS April GDP stats

Chancellor response to ONS April GDP stats

The Chancellor's response to ONS GDP stats for April is below.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said:

“Today’s figures are a promising sign that our economy is beginning to recover.

“With more than a million people coming off furlough across March and April and the number of employees in work rising, it is clear that our Plan for Jobs is working.

“But I know there are people who still need our support, which is why the furlough scheme is in place until September to protect as many jobs as possible, and schemes like Kickstart will continue to create jobs for young people, as we look to build the economy of the future.”

Notes to editors

Background

• ONS statistics for GDP in April can be found here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/grossdomesticproductgdp/bulletins/gdpmonthlyestimateuk/april2021
• Monthly GDP growth in April was 2.3%. This is the fastest monthly growth since July 2020, and leaves the economy 3.7% smaller than before the pandemic in February 2020.
• HMRC statistics show that 1.3 million people left furlough in March and April, and estimates from an ONS survey suggest the number of people still on furlough fell even further in May. HMRC statistics for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme can be found here.