UK economy shrank by 0.1% in April as Iran war held back growth
<p>GDP hit by higher energy prices caused by Middle East conflict, after 0.3% rise in March</p><p>The UK economy contracted by 0.1% in April as the Iran war began to take its toll on growth, official figures show.</p><p>As energy prices have risen as a result of the conflict, after Iran closed off the strait of Hormuz – a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/mar/01/us-israel-strikes-iran-oil-price">vital shipping route for global trade</a> – the UK’s strong expansion in the first quarter slid into reverse.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jun/12/uk-economy-gdp-shrank-april-iran-war-held-back-growth">Continue reading...</a>
- alleges — UK economy shrank by 0.1% in April as Iran war held back growth (witness: wire-ingest; citation: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jun/12/uk-economy-gdp-shrank-april-iran-war-held-back-growth; status: supported)
- alleges — url: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jun/12/uk-economy-gdp-shrank-april-iran-war-held-back-growth (witness: wire-ingest; citation: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jun/12/uk-economy-gdp-shrank-april-iran-war-held-back-growth; status: supported)
- alleges — summary: <p>GDP hit by higher energy prices caused by Middle East conflict, after 0.3% rise in March</p><p>The UK economy contracted by 0.1% in April as the Iran war began to take its toll on growth, official figures show.</p><p>As energy prices have risen as a result of the conflict, after Iran closed off the strait of Hormuz – a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/mar/01/us-israel-strikes-iran-oil-price">vital shipping route for global trade</a> – the UK’s strong expansion in the first quarter slid into reverse.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jun/12/uk-economy-gdp-shrank-april-iran-war-held-back-growth">Continue reading...</a> (witness: wire-ingest; citation: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jun/12/uk-economy-gdp-shrank-april-iran-war-held-back-growth; status: supported)
- alleges — published: Fri, 12 Jun 2026 06:31:37 GMT (witness: wire-ingest; citation: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jun/12/uk-economy-gdp-shrank-april-iran-war-held-back-growth; status: supported)