UK business activity grows at fastest pace in five years after lockdown eased – as it happened

Rolling coverage of the latest business and markets news after business activity jumped in July

Covid-19 puts workers in danger. It’s another reason we need unions

At one US meat plant, 890 workers contracted Covid-19. At another, eight people died. Only organized labor will protect us

MPs to check if the government’s green plans are fit for purpose

Treasury and business committees to question whether policies will help or hinder sustainable recovery

Rishi Sunak urged to plug furlough scheme gaps for 1m workers

Treasury committee says chancellor must fulfil vow to help workers, including newly employed and newly self-employed

The Guardian view on austerity: a grotesque failure that must not be revived

Editorial: Rishi Sunak is preparing an autumn of spending cuts – an economic folly and a political gamble

Campaigners launch legal challenge against UK’s green recovery plans

Plan B says government proposals unlawful in light of obligations to cut emissions

Ending furlough is a catastrophic mistake: we should be cutting hours, not people

Britain simply can’t afford mass redundancies – yet politicians seem resigned to the job losses to come, says the IPPR’s Clare McNeil

UK is in a V-shaped recovery, says Bank of England economist

Andy Haldane, however, clashes with fellow MPC member Silvana Tenreyo over the economy

Britain deserves better than an Old Etonian Donald Trump

His illness aside, Boris Johnson’s leadership style has served the country badly during its worst crisis in decades, says Guardian columnist Simon Jenkins

After more than a decade of eroding workers’ rights, it’s time for a proper new deal

Boris Johnson’s recovery plan will not succeed if he doesn’t put worker protection at its heart

Now Britain stands at the crossroads. Will we choose dread or hope?

Our politicians are lacking in imagination, so it is up to us to make the case for the type of country we want to live in, says Guardian columnist John Harris

Johnson is asking Santa for a Christmas recovery

Without clear leadership from the top, employers will simply not risk a full return to the workplace this year

How prepared is Boris Johnson for a winter resurgence of coronavirus?

The prime minister says he is hoping for the best but planning for the worst. We look at the areas of most concern

Rishi Sunak’s Covid-19 package recycled up to £10bn spending – IFS

Chancellor’s statement ‘corrosive to public trust’ for passing old funds off as new

UK’s hidden problem of rising unemployment may soon be exposed

End of furlough scheme likely to unmask true impact of coronavirus crisis on workers