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Britain's economy experienced its sharpest monthly contraction in seven months during April, as the aftershocks of sweeping US tariffs reverberated through international markets, according to official statistics released Thursday.
The nation's gross domestic product plunged 0.3% between March and April - significantly worse than economists' predictions of a modest 0.1% decline and marking the most severe drop since October 2023. The unexpected downturn followed four consecutive months of growth.
"We've witnessed an unprecedented collapse in goods exports to America across nearly all categories following the implementation of new trade barriers," explained Liz McKeown, Director of Economic Statistics at the Office for National Statistics. "April's export figures represent the steepest single-month decline we've ever recorded."
The ONS analysis revealed multiple contributing factors: The expiration of temporary housing tax incentives dragged down real estate and legal sector activity by 0.2 percentage points, while British automakers reported reduced production volumes alongside declining shipments to both American and European markets.
Despite April's setback, Britain maintained its position as the fastest-growing G7 economy during Q1 2026 with 0.7% expansion - performance strong enough for the Bank of England to upgrade its annual growth projection to 1% last month.
However, central bank economists simultaneously downgraded their 2026 outlook to 1.25%, estimating that sustained tariff pressures could ultimately reduce UK economic output by approximately 0.3% over a three-year period.
With inflation proving persistent despite sluggish economic momentum, BoE rate-setters face complex challenges ahead of next week's policy decision.
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