People cross a street in London, Britain, on May 17, 2020. (Photo: Xinhua)

LONDON, May 19 (Xinhua) -- Another 545 COVID-19 patients have died in Britain as of Monday afternoon, bringing the total coronavirus-related death toll in the country to 35,341, Environment Secretary George Eustice said Tuesday.

The figures include deaths in all settings, including hospitals, care homes and the wider community.

Earlier in the day, Chancellor Rishi Sunak warned that Britain faces "severe recession".

"We are likely to face a severe recession, the likes of which we haven't seen, and of course that will have an impact on employment," said Sunak while addressing the Lords economic affairs committee.

"We are currently passing through" that period that is defined by two consecutive quarters of negative economic growth, he added.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) announced Tuesday that the number of people claiming jobless benefit in Britain monthly soared by 69.1 percent in April as the labor market was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Data showed that the country's Claimant Count, a statistic of the number of people claiming benefit principally for being unemployed, increased to 2.1 million in April, representing a monthly rise of 69.1 percent.