UK GDP down 0.4%; Longest recession on record

Analysts had predicted the economy would see no growth, or turn slightly positive, but the shock news has raised fears the UK will not have an easy recovery. GDP has now been in decline for six consecutive quarters, the longest period since records began in the 1950s. The economy has been shrinking since early 2008, at one point falling by more than 3% in a single quarter, but analysts and politicians had hoped the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) would show zero or positive growth. The figures are a first estimate from the ONS, and could be revised up o...