BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg took aim at Rishi Sunak after he noted the UK economy would bounce back from coronavirus. During the Tuesday briefing, Mr Sunak insisted the Government’s plan was the correct one going forward. He added that the Government had upheld its promise to give the NHS all the funding it needed to deal with the coronavirus crisis.

Ms Kuenssberg asked: “You hope there will be a temporary economic bounce back but what about the amount of borrowing the Government is going to do according to the projections?

“Do you really think we can just shake this off within a few months for the economy?”

Mr Sunak replied: “There are two separate things, one is what happens in the real economy in terms of business activity, economic growth and jobs, that is where I hope the measures we have put in place can ensure a reasonably fast bounce back.

“Obviously, that is a function of when we exit all of these measures.

“But I think your second point about public finances: this year the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is right to say there will be a significant increase in borrowing.

“We are borrowing a significant amount in order to fund these measures.

“I think that is absolutely the right decision.

“As the OBR have said, I think the cost of not doing that would be far worse than if we did do what we are doing.

“I think that is the right thing to say.”

“If we think of our future public finances, the OBR has put in its scenario a relatively swift bounce back and the economy recovering.

“Actually our public finances on a year to year basis should return to a more normal position.”

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