Shoppers walk past shops on Regent Street on the final weekday before Christmas in London on December 22, 2023. Britain's economy unexpectedly shrank in the third quarter and flatlined in the previous three months, official data showed Friday, raising fears of a recession before an election due next year. The Office for National Statistics said sales volumes fell by 3.2% during the key trading month, after a 1.4% rise in November. Volumes were 0.9% lower in the three months to December 2023, compared with the previous quarter. Trade body British Retail Consortium said that the figures "capped a difficult year for retailers" and showed that Black Friday sales ate into Christmas spending.

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Persons: HENRY NICHOLLS, Alex Kerr, Kerr Organizations: Getty Images, National Statistics, Reuters, ONS, Capital Economics, Trade, British Retail Consortium Locations: London, AFP