UK Recession Deals Fresh Blow to Sunak’s Economic Promises
- GDP fell 0.3% in fourth quarter; 0.1% drop had been expected
- Prime minister had made growing the economy a key pledge
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The UK slipped into a mild recession in the second half of 2023, showing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has so far failed to meet his pledge to grow the economy.
Gross domestic product fell 0.3% in the fourth quarter, more than the 0.1% drop economists forecast, Office for National Statistics figures released Thursday show. That followed an unrevised 0.1% decline in the previous three months, meeting economists’ technical definition of a recession, or two consecutive quarters of contraction.