UK GDP figures expected to be weaker amid EU vote fears

Economists forecast first-quarter growth of 0.4%, down from 0.6% in the final quarter of last year

The pressures on the UK economy from EU referendum jitters and a downturn in global trade will be revealed this week with the publication on Wednesday of official UK growth figures.

Nervous investors and policymakers are also keenly awaiting GDP updates from the US and eurozone to gauge the scale of a global slowdown that has prompted wild swings on stock markets in recent months and warnings from the International Monetary Fund that governments need to step up public investment to avert a slump.