UK slipped into recession for the first time since start of pandemic, at the end of last year

UK Treasury chief Jeremy Hunt said ‘low growth is not a surprise’  but said taxes must be cut on work and business. Photo: UK parliament/Jessica Taylor

Pan Pylas

The British economy fell into recession at the end of last year 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 yesterday.

In what is a blow for the governing Conservative Party ahead of a general election this year, the UK’s Office for National Statistics estimated that economic activity, as measured by gross domestic product (GDP), declined by 0.3pc in the fourth quarter of the year from the previous three-month period.