CHANCELLOR Rachel Reeves insisted today that growth remains “the number one mission of this government” after official figures revealed that Britain’s economy unexpectedly shrank by 0.1 per cent in October.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) data showed that a weak month for pubs and restaurants dragged on growth amid some uncertainty before the autumn Budget.

Most economists had been expecting GDP to rise by 0.1 per cent during the month.

The figures follow a 0.1 per cent estimated fall in September, meaning it is the first time the economy has contracted for two consecutive months since March and April 2020, during the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ms Reeves said the data was “disappointing, but it’s not possible to turn around more than a decade of poor economic growth and stagnant living standards in just a few months.”

She claimed that the government was “getting on with the job of improving economic growth and driving up living standards.”