UK fell into recession at the end of 2023 as economy takes center stage in runup to general election

By PAN PYLAS
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — The British economy fell into recession at the end of 2023 as output shrank more than anticipated in the final three months of the year. The Office for National Statistics said Thursday 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, with all three main sectors — services, industrial production and construction — down. That was far more than the 0.1% decline anticipated by economists. The quarterly decline followed a 0.1% fall in the previous three-month period. A recession is officially defined as two straight quarters of economic decline.