Charlotte was presenting Good Morning Britain on Friday morning when she had to stop the show after major news about the economy dropped whilst the ITV program was on air
Charlotte Hawkins has stopped Good Morning Britain live on air to deliver major breaking news.
Host Charlotte was back on screens to present the iconic morning show – after stepping in to replace co-star Kate Garraway, who took early leave. The journalist has been keen to show off a new side recently, even going as far as speaking French with First Dates star Fred Sirieix on the show.
The presenter, 49, was presenting the long-time ITV news programme on Friday (December 13) when the important story broke. As the details of the news came in, Charlotte was forced to interrupt the show’s normal schedule to deliver the statement.
Speaking to viewers, Charlotte said in a meagre tone: “I’ve got some breaking news for you now. The UK economy has shrunk slightly, by 0.1% in October. That’s according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS) that’s just been released in the last few minutes.”
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Charlotte also gave viewers an insight into what the figure meant for households, and admitted that the announcement had went against what analysts had predicted for the economy. “Economists had forecasted an expansion of 0.1%,” she explained.
“It seems pubs, restaurants and retail all had a weak month,” she added. “However, the economy still grew a little over the last three months as a whole.”
Since taking power in July, Labour have struggled to deliver large economic growth, as it attempts to fill the £22billion “black hole” it says it was left by the Tories. Speaking about the reveal of the statistics, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said that growth is part of the long term plan for the economy.
“We are determined to deliver economic growth as higher growth means increased living standards for everyone, everywhere. This is what our Plan for Change is all about,” Rachel insisted. “While the figures this month are disappointing, we have put in place policies to deliver long-term economic growth.”
Rachel added that due to “tough decisions” being made, the amount of public finances is being replenished. She also lauded the UK for it lowest level of corporation tax among the G7, the strongest seven economies in the world.
However, the shrink in the economy has worried analysts, who have said that “recession chatter” could be making a comeback. Speaking to the Daily Express, Alice Haine from Bestinvest by Evelyn Partners said the government will be hoping to deliver positive economic growth next month.
“The contraction in October will be concerning for the new Government as it offers a stark reflection of the hit to the economy from the uncertainty running up to the Budget, when consumers and businesses descended into a state of panic over what measures the Chancellor might deliver,” she explained. “Some of the most feared changes to personal taxation may not have materialised, but £40billion in tax rises is a lot for an economy to get to grips with particularly when businesses are expected to shoulder most of that burden.”
Alice added that the rush to buy Christmas presents has been weaker since Labour came to power and vowed to fix the hole in the public purse. As a result, the lead-up to Christmas has been stunted economically as consumers hold onto their cash rather than spending it “lavishly”.
Good Morning Britain airs every weekday at 6am on ITV1 and ITVX.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
