Paul Dales, economist at the consultancy Capital Economics, calculated that even if GDP improved to a flat reading in June, growth would still have slowed to just 0.1 percent overall in the second quarter.
"The hangover from the burst of activity in Q1 continued in May" he said, adding that he expects "fairly subdued" growth this year "due to the lingering drags from a weakening global economy and the rises in domestic taxes for UK businesses".