April growth figure 0% as Britain held back by poor retail and construction activity amid wet weather
Analysis: Another washout for Rishi SunakBusiness live – latest updates
The UK economy flatlined in April, held back by wet weather, as the signs of a recovery from last year’s recession began to fade.
In a blow to Rishi Sunak’s hopes of signalling a strong bounceback before the general election on 4 July, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said monthly growth slowed after a 0.4% increase in March.