Recovery ‘could take a decade’

BRITAIN could take five to 10 years to properly recover from the pandemic, because the Covid-19 financial hit would sap the economy of the firepower it needed to rebuild for Brexit, advertising supremo Martin Sorrell said yesterday.

Britain has recorded the worst death toll in Europe and the deepest economic contraction of any leading G7 nation from Covid-19.

It is now preparing to finally leave the EU on December 31, and has yet to secure a future trade deal.

“It is going to take a long time for the UK to recover, unfortunately,” said Sorrell, the founder of the world’s biggest advertising company, WPP, and one of the longest-serving chief executives of British listed companies.

“It’s going to be a tough five to 10 years before the economy fully recovers.”

Sorrell said the country needed to embark on a new programme of investment, not just in physical infrastructure but in 5G capacity and technology skills.