Reporting by the BBC that painted the recession in a positive light has prompted a barrage of bemused reactions on social media.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimated that gross domestic product (GDP) fell by a worse-than-expected 0.3 per cent between October and December, following a decline of 0.1 per cent in the previous three months.
It means that the economy entered a recession, as defined by two or more quarters in a row of falling GDP.
It marks the first time the UK has entered recession since the first half of 2020, when the initial Covid-19 lockdown sent the economy plunging into reverse.
Economists said the recession is likely to be short-lived, with GDP expected to pick up from the start of 2024.
But the figures are damning for Rishi Sunak, who has vowed to grow the economy as one of his five priorities.
Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said his economic pledge has been left “in tatters”.
She said: “The Prime Minister can no longer credibly claim that his plan is working or that he has turned the corner on more than 14 years of economic decline under the Conservatives that has left Britain worse off.
“This is Rishi Sunak’s recession and the news will be deeply worrying for families and business across Britain.”
But not everyone was as gloomy about the news.
The BBC managed to find a way to paint the economic slump in a positive light, prompting these bemused reactions:
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