Preliminary estimates from the UK Office for National Statistics showed that UK GDP shrank by 0.1% in May, compared to a 0.3% decline in April, confounding expectations of a 0.1% contraction.
This reading is expected to see the UK economy grow by 0.5% in the three months to May.
Product output fell by 0.9% in May after a 0.6% decline in April, the largest contributor to the decline in GDP in May. However, it rose by 0.2% in the three months to May. The construction sector fell by 0.6% after growing by 0.8% in April, revised down from 0.9%.
The services sector, which accounts for more than 70% of the UK economy, grew by 0.1% in May, compared to a 0.3% decline in April, revised down from 0.4%.