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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Larry Elliott Economics editor

Another washout for Rishi Sunak as rain dampens UK growth

Pedestrians in rain on Westminster Bridge in London
Declines in UK retail activity and construction output in April were almost certainly weather-related. Photograph: Amer Ghazzal/REX/Shutterstock

Rishi Sunak must be cursing the British weather. He got soaked to the skin when announcing the general election outside 10 Downing Street last month. Now it appears wet weather has brought a halt to the UK’s economic recovery.

Statisticians always caution against reading too much into a single month’s figures and on a quarterly basis things don’t look too bad for the prime minister. Indeed, the economy expanded by 0.7% in the three months to April, compared with 0.6% in the quarter ending in March.

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