Business investment in UK enters worst period since financial crisis

Most economic indicators in October point to lasting damage if UK crashes out of EU

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Britain has entered its worst period for business investment since the global financial crisis amid concern that crashing out of the EU will trigger lasting damage for the economy, according to a Guardian analysis of economic news over the past month.

Against a backdrop of heightened uncertainty as Theresa May struggles to secure support for her Brexit plan in parliament, figures published this month reveal that corporate spending on machinery, buildings and research has fallen in three consecutive quarters. That has not happened since the last recession almost a decade ago.