Pre-Budget jitters blamed for surprise contraction in economy

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves poses outside 11 Downing Street, London, with her ministerial red box before delivering her Budget in the House of Commons (Stefan Rousseau/PA) - (PA Wire)

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has come under further pressure as pre-Budget worries and tax hike speculation was widely blamed for an unexpected contraction in the economy during October.

Official figures showed the UK economy shrank for the second month running in October, contracting by 0.1% following a 0.1% decline in September.