Due to severe inflation and a crisis in the cost of living, Britain entered a recession at the end of last year, which hurt Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ahead of this year’s election.

Sunak, who has declared that expanding the economy is one of his top five priorities, is severely harmed by the news.

A news article in The Washington Post, stated that the Office for National Statistics (ONS) released a statement saying that the gross domestic product contracted by 0.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2023, following a 0.1 percent contraction in the previous three months.

That puts the country in recession, which is characterized by two quarters of declining GDP.

“Our initial estimate shows the UK economy contracted in the fourth quarter of 2023,” said ONS director of economic statistics Liz McKeown.

Ahead of a general election, Keir Starmer’s main opposition Labour Party is currently leading his ruling Conservatives.

Additionally, it is the first recession to hit the UK since the Covid pandemic’s aftermath hit in the first half of 2020.