LONDON — U.K. economic growth ground to a halt in April, according to flash figures published on Wednesday, stalling the muted rebound from last year's recession mere weeks ahead of a national election. Economists polled by Reuters had expected growth to flatten, after the economy expanded by 0.4% in March. The picture was slightly brighter on a longer timeframe, with gross domestic product up 0.7% in the three months to April. Construction output declined 1.4% in its third straight fall, while production output was down 0.9%. Lindsay James, investment strategist at Quilter Investors, attributed the April slowdown to recent gloomy weather.

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Persons: Lindsay James, James Organizations: LONDON, Reuters, Quilter Investors Locations: Rotherhithe, London, United Kingdom