Huge rise in people claiming unemployment benefit. The claimant count in April went up by 856,500 to 2.1 million, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said

It is "not obvious there will be an immediate bounceback" for the UK economy, once lockdown restrictions are eased, the chancellor has warned.

Rishi Sunak said he hoped for a swift recovery, but it could take time for the UK economy to get back to normal.

"It takes time for people to get back to the habits that they had, there are still restrictions in place," he said.

His warning came as figures showed the number of people claiming unemployment benefit soared to 2.1 million in April.

The jump of 856,500 claims in April reflected the impact of the first full month of lockdown, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

The government has made some changes to who can claim work-related benefits during the pandemic, but this figure is one of a series that show the stress Covid-19 is putting on the jobs market.

Find out more here - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52719230