Britain’s economy contracted in April as the Middle East war hit growth, official data showed, dealing a setback to Prime Minister Keir Starmer as he grapples with a political crisis, AFP reports.

Gross domestic product fell 0.1 per cent in April following growth of 0.3pc in March, the Office for National Statistics said in a statement.

The reading matched analysts’ expectations and followed a stronger-than-expected performance in the first quarter.