UK | Freedom day to bolster recovery, but Covid rates a worry

The government’s announcement that most of the remaining Covid restrictions are likely to be removed on July 19 has bolstered our confidence in the strength of the UK’s recovery. We expect UK GDP to grow nearly 8% this year.

The link between Covid cases and hospitalisations appears to have weakened significantly. But with case numbers rising sharply and new variants still a potential threat, the UK cannot be complacent.

What you will learn:

• Our above-consensus GDP growth forecast
• Covid cases have risen sharply over the past month, but hospitalisations have remained low
• The emergence of the more transmissible Delta variant has caused Covid cases to rise sharply over the past month