Alistair Darling, George Osborne and Philip Hammond — three former chancellors of the exchequer — have disagreed over whether the coronavirus crisis represents a more severe threat to the UK economy than the global financial crisis of 2008.

Giving evidence before a Treasury Committee session on 3 June over the economic impacts from the pandemic, Darling and Osborne were at odds with one another, while Hammond said it is too early to reach a verdict.