LONDON (AP) — The British economy fell into recession at the end of 2023 for the first time since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, as output shrank more than anticipated in the final three months of the year, official figures showed Thursday.
In what is a blow for the governing Conservative Party ahead of a general election this year, the Office for National Statistics estimated that economic activity, as measured by gross domestic product, declined by 0.3% in the fourth quarter of the year from the previous three-month period. It said all three main sectors — services, industrial production and construction — were down.
