A long recession could lead to a "significant number of deaths" as more people are thrown into poverty, the UK's stats chief has warned.
Professor Sir Ian Diamond said it was crucial for the UK to pay attention to all excess deaths during the coronavirus crisis, monitoring not only people who have been directly killed by the disease, but also those who have died following increased pressure on the NHS and social issues.
He told the Commons Public Administration Committee: "If - and I stress if - we end up with an L shaped recession, rather than a V shape where we come out quite quickly, an L shape over a long period of time could lead to a significant number of deaths as a result of people being pushed into poverty or long-term unemployment.
"And we know that people in the lowest deciles of income have higher mortality rates, sadly, in our country.
"And if you increase that you're likely to see an increase in deaths."
Professor Diamond, who heads up the Office for National Statistics, said we are seeing a "reduction" in deaths from coronavirus, but "not as quickly as we might have liked."
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures have estimated the death toll at a consistently higher figure than the daily number released by Downing Street.
Professor Diamond's comment come after Chancellor Rishi Sunak warned thatit is "very likely" that the UK will face a "significant recession" as a result of the coronavirus crisis.
He told the BBC: "A recession is defined technically as two quarters of decline in GDP.
"We've seen one here with only a few days of impact from the virus, so it is now very likely that the UK economy will face a significant recession this year and we are in the middle of that as we speak."
The Daily Telegraph reported that a Treasury document estimated the UK's deficit could reach £337 billion this year because of the pandemic, compared to the forecast £55 billion in March's Budget.
It said the assessment, drawn up for the Chancellor and dated May 5, warned that to fill such a gap in the public finances through tax revenue rises would be "very challenging without breaking the tax lock".
The paper said measures including income tax hikes, a two-year public sector pay freeze and the end of the triple lock on pensions may be required to fund the debt.
But quizzed this morning, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said there would be no return to the austerity cuts in the wake of the pandemic .
