Taylor Wimpey, the UK’s second-biggest housebuilder, has made a pre-tax loss of £40m in the wake of the covid crisis, according to half-year results published this morning.

The loss of revenue for the six months to June 28 compares to a profit of £300m for the same period in 2019, and comes on the back of a 58% slump in completions due to the coronavirus-related construction hiatus.