The Good Morning Britain co-host has been a fierce critic of those objecting to lockdown rules, today highlighting exactly why the stringent measures are required for a return to normality. In a post on Twitter, the 55-year-old drew attention to economic forecasts for China, which enforced some the of the toughest lockdown measures in the world and is now expected to have the largest global economy by 2028.
Research conducted by global financial services group Nomura suggested China will bounce back from the pandemic and overtake the US as the world’s largest economy in just seven years – one year earlier than previously predicted.
Mr Morgan highlighted the study on the social media platform, which included a graph illustrating the upward projection of the Chinese economy.
He wrote: “Lockdowns don’t work, insist anti-lockdowners.
“So how do they explain China which suppressed the virus with draconian lockdowns & has now seen its economy prosper & normal life return.”
The research was shared by financial expert Holger Zschäpitz, he said: “Isn’t it ironic? It looks like China is the big winner of the pandemic economically.
“China’s share of global economy is expected to grow at a faster pace.
“China will now overtake the US by 2028, 1yrs earlier than previously predicted, according to Nomura.”
A strain of coronavirus was first reported by Chinese officials in the city of Wuhan in December 2019.
Last week figures released by the Office for National Statistics show the UK economy had shrunk by 8.5 percent in November 2020 compared to pre-pandemic levels.
But green shoots in the economy could be just a matter of weeks away after vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi suggested lockdown measures could be lifted by early March.
He also confirmed the Government was on course to jab 15 million people across the UK by mid-February.
Speaking to BBC breakfast about the pathway out of lockdown, Mr Zahawi said: “It will be gradual, it will be probably through the tiered system.
“But you’re looking at that sort of period – two to three weeks after the middle of February where we’ve protected those top four cohorts.”
