The UK economy shrank by a larger than expected 0.3 per cent in April, heightening fears that Britain is headed for recession. City experts had been expecting output to contract by 0.1 per cent, following a similar decline in March.
The second consecutive fall can be attributed, in part, to the ramping down of the NHS Test and Trace programme. But of the three broad categories the Office for National Statistics uses — services, manufacturing and construction — all were down. There is no getting away from it: difficult times lie ahead.
