UK economy: what does technical recession mean for Sunak?

Rishi Sunak pledged to kickstart growth. Instead, the UK fell into recession late last year.

Output shrank for two consecutive quarters at the end of 2023 – with people spending less and doctor’s strikes contributing to the contraction.

But economists expect the recession to be brief, and the Chancellor is downplaying the data, telling this programme the economy is turning a corner.