UK factory output shrinks on back of Brexit uncertainty

Manufacturers in eurozone hit by even sharper slowdown than in Britain

The government has been sent a warning signal that Brexit uncertainty is pushing Britain's manufacturing sector into recession as the latest industry health check showed the weakest performance since the aftermath of the EU referendum three years ago.

Order books shrank rapidly after a period when businesses had been stockpiling goods in the run-up to the original Brexit deadline at the end of March, according to the regular monthly survey conducted for the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply by the research group IHS Markit.

Related: No-deal Brexit would be economic lunacy, say UK manufacturers

The purchasing managers' indices, or PMIs, track services sector companies, manufacturers and building firms around the world.