They are the figures that should give any government pause for thought — a terrifying reflection of the catastrophic effect on the economy of the pandemic.

This Mail analysis of the financial cost of the virus — to jobs, the economy, businesses and the public finances — could not be more sobering.

It follows our publication on Saturday of medical data which showed that the Government’s grim predictions charting the course of the pandemic were worse than the reality.

An indication of the true state of the shattered public purse will emerge on Wednesday when Chancellor Rishi Sunak conducts his Spending Review. In the meantime, our dossier shows the crippling scale of the damage already inflicted and sets out how much worse it will become if large swathes of the economy remain trapped in lockdown or overly restrictive tier systems.

It lays bare the immense level of harm done to our financial well-being, and raises serious questions over the handling of the virus by the Government — steered by its scientific advisers.

Read More: The REAL cost of Covid-19: RUTH SUNDERLAND’s terrifying dossier exploring the full economic damage

By FOS-SA