LONDON, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- The British economy shrank 0.2 percent in the second quarter of this year, according to official figures revealed Friday.
The gross domestic product in the April-June period dropped 0.2 percent after growing 0.5 percent in the first quarter, the Office for National Statistics said in a statement.
The contraction came "at a time of increased volatility around the U.K.'s original planned exit date from the European Union in late March," the statement said.
The first time since 2012, the decline was unexpected as expectations had been for zero growth.