Britain's Johnson says wasn't surprised by economic plunge

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said figures showing the economy had plunged by a quarter in the March-April period had not come as a surprise because it was always going to hit a country that is dependent on services.

"These figures came as no surprise to us because we've always recognised that this wasn't going to be just a public health crisis but also a really serious crisis for our economy," he told broadcasters.

"Coronavirus is likely to hit a country like the UK economically very hard, we depend on services, on human contact ... but we're also a very resilient and a dynamic economy and we will bounce back."