The double-dip recession is deeper than originally feared as revised figures today showed a sharper decline in the economy in the final quarter of last year.
Gross domestic product (GDP) shrank by 0.4% between October and December, compared with a previous estimate of 0.3%, while the economy contracted by an unchanged 0.3% in the first quarter of this year, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
The figures mean the current recession - defined as two or more quarters of declining GDP in a row - is more severe than first thought.
The impact of the weak economy was underlined by household spending figures, which showed expenditure falling by 0.1% compared with a previous estimate of 0.1% growth.
