UK economy contracted sharply in April after Trump's tariffs
The UK economy shrank more than expected in April as the worst of President Trump's tariffs hit, according to the latest official figures.
The standard measure of economic output (GDP) contracted a sharp 0.3% in April, data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed.
During the month, Mr Trump's so-called "Liberation Day" applied steep tariffs to countries around the world and sparked a trade war with China, the world's second-largest economy.
It's worse than expected by economists.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC News
26 minutes ago
- NBC News
Trump's financial disclosures reveal millions in income from guitars, bibles and watches with his name on them
President Donald Trump continues to enjoy income streams from scores of luxury properties and business ventures, many of which are worth tens of millions of dollars, according to a financial disclosure form filed late Friday. Released by the Office of Government Ethics, Trump's 2025 financial disclosure spans 234 pages in all, including 145 pages of stock and bond investments, and is dated Friday with Trump's signature. One of the largest sources of income on the form is the $57,355,532 he received from his ownership stake in World Liberty Financial, the cryptocurrency platform launched last year. The form shows that World Liberty's sales of digital tokens have been highly lucrative for Trump and his family. Trump's three sons, Donald Jr., Eric, and Barron, are listed on the company's website as co-founders of the firm. Separately, Trump's meme coin, known on crypto markets simply as $TRUMP, was not released until January and is therefore not subject to the disclosure requirements for this form, which covered the calendar year 2024. It was a lucrative year for Trump when it came to royalty payments for the various goods that are sold featuring his name and likeness. Among the royalty payments: Save America (coffee table book) — $3,000,000 Trump Sneakers and Fragrances — $2,500,000 Trump Watches — $2,800,000 The Greenwood Bible — $1,306,035 '45' Guitar — $1,055,100 NFT licensing and royalties — $1,157,490 The filing also includes a listing of liabilities, including at least $15,000 on an American Express credit card and payments due to E. Jean Carroll, the woman who successfully sued Trump over sexual abuse and defamation, though the president is still seeking to appeal the decision. The rest of the document contains dozens of pages of lengthy footnotes about the president's various assets. The form was filed to comply with federal requirements for Executive Branch office holders. By comparison, the form that former President Joe Biden filed in 2024 was 11 pages and consisted largely of conventional sources of income like bank and retirement accounts, while Kamala Harris's was 15 pages. Many of Trump's key assets are held in a revocable trust overseen by Donald Trump Jr., his eldest son. This includes more than 100,000 shares of Trump Media and Technology Group, the social media company that went public in 2024. Trump is the largest shareholder, and his nearly 53% is worth billions of dollars. Those holdings were still disclosed in the form.
The Sun
42 minutes ago
- The Sun
Chocolate lovers rush to Aldi as supermarket launches £3.99 dupe of viral ‘Dubai chocolate'
CHOCOLATE fans are dashing to Aldi as the budget supermarket unveils a £3.99 version of the viral 'Dubai-style' chocolate bar. Now available in Aldi stores across the UK, the 100g bar promises a rich and indulgent experience—without the luxury price tag. The treat features creamy pistachio layers and crunchy kadayif pastry, all wrapped in silky milk chocolate. Inspired by a viral hit that exploded on social media, the chocolate has already caused a stir online. AldiUK teased the launch on Facebook, writing: 'THIS IS NOT A DRILL. The Dubai Style Chocolate Bar lands in store tomorrow! Will you be picking one up.' Fans flooded the comments with excitement. One wrote: 'More temptation.' Another added: 'You knocked it out of the park with this. Absolutely amazing.' A third asked: 'Hey dear Aldi, are these a special or permanent fixture? Xx' The chocolate is part of Aldi's Specialbuys range, meaning once it's sold out, it may not return. With no buying limit, shoppers are expected to stock up quickly. This isn't the first time retailers have tried to cash in on the Dubai chocolate craze. Lidl's JD Gross version flew off shelves, and Waitrose offers a similar pistachio white chocolate bar for £2.75. Morrisons stocks its own version—Bolci Dubai Chocolate—for £5. The trend shows no signs of slowing down, as chocolate lovers continue to seek out these premium-style treats at lower prices. If you're keen to try one, it's worth getting to your local Aldi early to avoid disappointment. As word spreads, demand is expected to spike. To get the best deal, savvy shoppers are encouraged to compare prices using online tools like PriceSpy, Google Shopping, or Idealo. These platforms let you check price histories and spot deals across retailers. SAVE MONEY AT ALDI Grabbing hot Specialbuys like this chocolate bar is just one way to save at Aldi. The discount chain frequently tops Which? rankings for the cheapest supermarket, offering consistent value for everyday essentials. In April, a typical basket of 79 items cost an average of £135.95 at Aldi—cheaper than rivals including Lidl and Tesco. Bargain hunters should also keep an eye out for Aldi's red sticker items, usually marked down in the morning. These offer major discounts on products close to their sell-by date or with minor packaging damage. Aldi's budget-friendly alcohol selection is another way to save, with own-brand options often coming in much cheaper than big-name labels. Don't forget about Too Good To Go 'Surprise Bags', available in selected stores. These offer a low-cost mix of near-date groceries that would otherwise go to waste. How to save money on chocolate We all love a bit of chocolate from now and then, but you don't have to break the bank buying your favourite bar. Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how to cut costs... Go own brand - if you're not too fussed about flavour and just want to supplant your chocolate cravings, you'll save by going for the supermarket's own brand bars. Shop around - if you've spotted your favourite variety at the supermarket, make sure you check if it's cheaper elsewhere. Websites like let you compare prices on products across all the major chains to see if you're getting the best deal. Look out for yellow stickers - supermarket staff put yellow, and sometimes orange and red, stickers on to products to show they've been reduced. They usually do this if the product is coming to the end of its best-before date or the packaging is slightly damaged. Buy bigger bars - most of the time, but not always, chocolate is cheaper per 100g the larger the bar. So if you've got the appetite, and you were going to buy a hefty amount of chocolate anyway, you might as well go bigger. 2
Top Gear
an hour ago
- Top Gear
BYD Dolphin Surf Review 2025
One of the cheapest electric superminis. And for buyers coming out of a three year old Skoda Fabia, the equipment list will feel like science fiction. It's kitted out with a full suite of connectivity and driver assist. You can unlock and drive it from your smartwatch, and send a link to a friend so they can do it too. External power means you could run a small cook stove in the wild. All of which is right there with the £18,650 base model. Advertisement - Page continues below It comes from BYD, a brand with mushrooming sales and a colossal footprint. Shortly after launch, manufacture of the Dolphin Surf moves to a vast brand-new plant in Hungary. You could accuse BYD of bait and switch with that entry price. It's for a relatively small battery car with just 137 miles of range. Fine as a commuter car, but you'd soon tire of motorway work: call it half an hour of charging for every hour at 70mph. So you're nudged into the middle Boost trim, which ups the electric range to 200 miles. But it costs another £3,300. That said, we suspect BYD knows this is the one you want, so at launch there's a deposit contribution bringing the Boost as close as £10 a month more on PCP than the small-battery Active. Rivals begin with the Dacia Spring and Leapmotor T03 at the bottom end. Although they're cheaper, they're smaller. Heartland rivals are the Stellantis pair, the Fiat Grande Panda and Citroën ë-C3. At the top of the Dolphin Surf range you draw level with the base Renault 5. Which is a problem for BYD. Advertisement - Page continues below How big is it? It's not quite a supermini because it's narrow, so fits only two abreast in the back. Same as the Hyundai Inster. And it's tall, so on its little wheels it looks a bit gawky. It's 4.0 metres in length, a squeak longer than a Toyota Yaris. EV-native underfloor design and the tall roof help with interior space. There's plenty of legroom in the back, and a deep boot. But a 'city car' is the bus. Surely this needs to be more than an urban runabout? Fair point. And to look at the spec, you might think the bigger-battery version will tackle proper journeys. First, its space means no-one is going to get cramp or face a Ryanair-style baggage policy. The seats are comfy and the stereo is fine. But the screen system will drive you bananas. Not least because unless you use Spotify (no other music source) you can't have any kind of navigation indication displayed at the same time as the music track name. So we were endlessly swiping and jabbing between the two display modes. More fundamentally, the ride isn't great, with turbulent low-speed bounce giving way to a float on faster bumps. On a motorway you're assailed by tiring wind noise. The ADAS features aren't much help. And unless you've bought the relatively expensive Comfort spec, which has more power, you'll be mashing the accelerator to accelerate up a slip road. On the bright side, this meek performance is a key to its real-world efficiency. Numbers then? The Active spec has a 30kWh battery giving 137 miles WLTP. Its 89bhp motor manages 0-62mh in 11.1 seconds. Boost ups the battery size to 43.2kWh, and range is now 200 miles. Same motor as before. But performance dips a little because of extra weight and perhaps its larger tyres (on 16s not 15s) gearing it up. It's 12.1s 0-62mph. Sorry, but it feels slower than that. For extra poke, get the Comfort, which has the Boost's battery but a usefully spicier 156bhp, cutting the 0-62mph to 9.1s. Range drops marginally to 193 miles WLTP. On a motorway the real drop will be more, unless you can resist using the extra power to hit the overtaking lane. That bigger battery charges at 85kW peak, for a half-hour 10-80 per cent top-up. Both batteries are BYD's robust and cost-efficient LFP chemistry, so you won't harm them by frequently discharging going close to flat and back to 100 per cent. Use the capacity you pay for. Our choice from the range BYD 65kW Boost 43kWh 5dr Auto £21,885 See prices and specs What's the verdict? ' Truth be told we found much of the Dolphin Surf's fancy tech – the display system and driver assists – annoying rather than helpful ' Can a million drivers be wrong? In China and South America, total sales of this car – known as the Seagull and Dolphin Mini – have already sold that number. But BYD took a while to intro it here, to revise the structure and safety systems in pursuit of all five EuroNCAP stars (the actual test isn't published as we write), and improve the sense of quality. Both those things are admirable. The cabin space and seat comfort are excellent. People are going to look at the rest of the equipment and wonder why the Citroen and Fiat rivals are so sparse. But truth be told we found much of the Dolphin Surf's fancy tech – the display system and driver assists – annoying rather than helpful. We'd likely soon default to phone mirroring and, y'know, driving. And when driving we'd notice the lack of polish and engagement. Small cars should be cheeky fun. This is off-target.
