UK economy shrinks after Brexit car factory shutdowns

Vehicle output falls by 24% as firms including BMW and Peugeot pause production

The British economy shrank in April amid a dramatic decline in car production ahead of the original Brexit deadline, according to official figures.

According to the Office for National Statistics, gross domestic product (GDP) plunged by 0.4% in April from a month earlier as factories across the country launched a wave of planned shutdowns to avoid any disruption that could have been unleashed by a no-deal Brexit.