UK on brink of longest recession in history as Tories blamed for their 'disastrous economic record'
dailyrecord.co.ukThe Conservatives have today been blamed for taking the UK to the brink of recession as a result of the party's "disastrous economic policies".
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt warned of a "tough road ahead" for the UK as gross domestic product, the measure of national income known as GDP, contracted by 0.2 per cent.The Tory minister will announce his autumn budget next week where he is expected to announce painful public spending cuts and tax hikes.The economic figure for between July and September could mark the start of a recession, which is defined as two three-month periods of economic contraction in a row.The Bank of England previously warned the UK is facing its longest recession since records began - with the economic downturn expected to extend well into 2024.Labour and the SNP accused the Conservatives of leaving the economy exposed to the international economic shocks by leading the country through a decade of weak growth and inequality.Alison Thewlis, SNP Treasury spokeswoman, said: "These latest figures must serve as a final wake-up call for the Prime Minister and his Chancellor to deliver real support to protect struggling households and businesses, and ditch their austerity agenda."With a long and deep recession looming, the grim reality is that far too many people are frightened to open their bills, and are unable to put food on the table or heat their homes."These statistics are a damning indictment of the Tories’ disastrous economic record - driven by deep austerity, targeting of the most vulnerable in society, and imposing an extreme Brexit that has hammered the economy, trade and led to staff shortages."Hunt insisted the problems were largely due to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s "weaponisation" of gas
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