Britain’s factories suffered their worst month in three years in April as falling export orders and a lack of demand for consumer goods squeezed manufacturing output.
The slump meant the sector contracted for the first time since March 2013 and marked the lowest point in a year-long slide that economists said would drag on GDP growth this year.
Financial data provider Markit, which carried out the survey, said manufacturers highlighted slower growth in the UK and declining new export orders as a blow to sales alongside “rising uncertainty about the global economy, the oil and gas industry, retail sector and the EU referendum”.
A fall in jobs was a knock-on effect of the downturn, said Markit, with the data showing almost 20,000 job losses over the past three months, mostly among large employers.
