UK economy shrinks 0.1% in April as services weaken
The UK economy contracted by 0.1% in April, according to official data released on Friday. The fall was driven by weaker output in the services sector, while construction partly offset the decline. Analysts had expected a small contraction, after stronger-than-expected growth in March.The Office for National Statistics said the economy grew by 0.7% in the three months to April compared with the previous three-month period. That suggests the monthly fall did not fully reverse the broader improvement seen over the quarter. The same data also showed the economy grew by 0.3% in the month, confounding forecasts of a small contraction,... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 12 Jun 2026 07:30 LONDON
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UK defence funding row deepens after second ministerial resignation
The UK government is facing a deepening row over defence funding after armed forces minister Al Carns resigned on Thursday evening. His departure followed the earlier resignation of former Defence Secretary John Healey, who quit over the same dispute with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer about the military funding plan. The resignations have intensified pressure on the government as it tries to finalise its defence investment plan.Carns said in his resignation letter that the government's defence investment plan was "neither transformative enough nor sufficiently funded". He had only hours earlier suggested he might wait until the plan was finalised before... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 11 Jun 2026 23:29 LONDON
