At the start of 2023 the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged to “grow the economy,” but this is now “severely in doubt” as official figures shows the UK is at risk of falling into a recession.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that Gross domestic product (GDP) had flatlined in the second quarter of 2023 as previous estimates showed a 0.2% growth, meaning the overall economy has a bleak future.
In October the ONS said that GDP had declined by 0.3% which economists said was the worse reading they had predicted.
If GDP contracts between October and December then the UK will have technically entered into a recession, after two consecutive quarters of negative growth.
Darren Morgan, director of economic statistics at the ONS, said, “The latest data from both our regular monthly business survey and VAT returns show the economy performed slightly less well in the last two quarters than our initial estimates.
“The broader picture, though, remains one of an economy that has been little changed over the last year.”
Richard Carter, head of fixed interest research at Quilter Cheviot, said: “Growth is weakening and interest rates are really beginning to bite, and while a recession has just been avoided to date, there is no guarantee one will be avoided in 2024.”
He added that “Rishi Sunak’s pledge to grow the economy is now severely in doubt.”
Sunak had pledged at the start of 2023 to “grow the economy.”
Labour shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said the revised GDP figures show he has failed to meet his promise.
She said, “Rishi Sunak is a Prime Minister whose legacy is one of failure. He failed to beat Liz Truss, he failed to cut waiting lists, he failed to stop the boats and now he has failed to grow the economy.
“Thirteen years of economic failure under the Conservatives have left working people worse off with higher bills, higher mortgages and higher prices in the shops.”
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said, “The medium-term outlook for the UK economy is far more optimistic than these numbers suggest.
“We’ve seen inflation fall again this week, and the OBR (Office for Budget Responsibility) expects the measures in the autumn statement, including the largest business tax cut in modern British history and tax cuts for 29 million working people, will deliver the largest boost to potential growth on record.”
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