UK GDP fall worse than expected

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures show construction output plummeted 9% in the first quarter of the year, far worse than its original estimate of 2.4%. Initial figures show the UK economy shrank by 1.9% in the first three months of 2009, but the ONS says the latest construction industry figures suggest total output actually fell by 2.2%. A fall in GDP of 2.2% would be the worst since 1979, when Britain was in the grip of a fierce recession. An official revision of the ONS's GDP estimate is expected to be published by the end of the month. [email protected] ...