LONDON—Unemployment claims in Britain jumped by a record amount in April to their highest level since the 1990s, underscoring the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy even as government programs sought to keep workers on payrolls.
Treasury chief Rishi Sunak downplayed the chances of a swift recovery in a parliamentary hearing. He couldn’t, in short, pledge to secure every job or business, noting that immediate bounce back isn’t a given.
