James Murray, Labour MP for Ealing North has just asked a question on Prime Minister's Questions about the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the UK economy.

Mr Murray said: "In March, the government's Chief Scientific Officer said that keeping COVID-19 deaths below 20,000 would be a good outcome but still an enormous number of deaths.

"We have now passed 50,000 deaths and suffered the deepest recession of any G7 country with GDP dropping by 10% in the last year.

"Why does the Prime Minister think the UK has had the deepest recession in the G7 and the highest number of COVID-19 deaths in Europe?"

The PM in turn replied: "We've had a global pandemic and one in which the UK has as you rightly said been badly affected and we mourn every life that has been lost.

"Of course we are supporting businesses and individuals with all the firepower of the UK economy.

"I've got absolutely no doubt that we will get through this strongly by next spring as our scientific advisers have said.

"We have the tools to do it, we have the scientific weaponry to do it and that is why we have the current restrictions in place to get the R number down, to suppress the virus and to get the economy moving in the way I'm sure he would like."

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