Grant Fitzner discusses the economic lessons to be learnt from the extraordinary events of the past two years, sharing his insights as Chief Economist at the Office for National Statistics.

Since the start of last year the UK economy has seen the worst pandemic in a century, the most severe recession in a century, and has left the European Union after 47 years of membership. As the effects of the pandemic and recession abate it’s time to start reflecting on what we’ve learned. Fitzner led the pandemic response at the Office for National Statistics during the first lockdown. He draws on that experience – along with more recent data and analysis – to argue that recent events could have far-reaching implications for how we measure the UK economy.