The Office of National Statistics (ONS) has revealed that the UK economy is shrinking faster than earlier figures. The growth figure for the 1st Quarter of 2009 has been downgraded to -2.4% from the previous -1.9%. Not only is the economy shrinking faster but the ONS has revised 2008 GDP figures to show that the economy started shrinking earlier than previous indications. This means that the UK recession began in Quarter 2, 2008 rather than Quarter 3.
The good news for Chancellor Alistair Darling is that with such poor figures for early 2009, it may well be possible to show that the economy is growing by the time Labour calls the 2010 General Election.
