MAINSTREAM media platforms have come under fire for describing news the UK economy shrunk in January as "unexpected".
The BBC and Sky News, among others, have labelled news that GDP fell by 0.1% in January a surprising development.
The fall was mainly driven by a decline in the production sector, with output dropping 0.9%.
It has been reported that this is a worse drop in GDP than economists had expected, with many predicting the economy to grow by 0.1%.
However, there has been a huge reaction to the description on social media with many finding it baffling that such news could be deemed surprising.
Chartered Accountant Browns Accounts posted a sarcastic comment on Twitter/X sharing the Sky headline.
“'Unexpectedly'?? Yes, who could possibly have thought that a socialist government massively increasing taxes on businesses would not have led to growth," the organisation posted.
The New Economics Foundation also claimed the news was far from shocking.
It said: "This is disappointing but unsurprising news, and we can expect these low growth figures to persist throughout the year.
"Crucially the chancellor mustn't use these figures as a reason to shrink the support the government provides to people, when what we need is investment."
This is disappointing but unsurprising news, and we can expect these low growth figures to persist throughout the year. Crucially the chancellor mustn't use these figures as a reason to shrink the support the government provides to people, when what we need is investment. https://t.co/0qLJA8aytY
— NEF (@NEF) March 14, 2025
Others accused corners of the mainstream media of "living under a rock", while others said "this has to be one of the most expected events in recent times".
Jane Burley posted: "I doubt that business leaders would deploy the word 'unexpectedly'. What did the Chancellor expect to happen to economic growth after her assault on business via NI?"
A planned £25 billion hike to employers' National Insurance Contributions (NICs) has reportedly sparked plans for businesses to lay off hundreds of thousands of workers.
An employment index compiled by the consultancy BDO slid to 94.30 in February from 94.72, towards levels last seen in the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis.
Separate figures from KPMG and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) showed that vacancies had contracted at the second fastest pace in nearly five years last month and wage growth slowed to a four-year low.
To add to pressure on businesses, from early April the minimum wage will rise by 6.7% while the main rate of employers’ NICs will rise to 15% from 13.8.%.
Firms are also facing new uncertainty surrounding the tariffs being imposed by US president Donald Trump, while the UK Government is under pressure to increase defence spending.
Responding to the latest growth figures, Rachel Reeves said: "The world has changed and across the globe we are feeling the consequences."
