The claim
“The IMF cut its UK growth forecast to 0.8% from the 1.3% it projected in January, citing the impact of the Middle East hostilities.”
Coverage of the IMF's April 2026 World Economic Outlook.
Our verdict
Mostly True
The IMF's April 2026 outlook cut UK growth for 2026 to 0.8% from 1.3% in January, blaming higher energy prices from the Middle East war; the forecast is for 2026, not 2025.
What we found
The April 2026 World Economic Outlook lowered the UK's 2026 forecast from 1.3% to 0.8%, the largest G7 downgrade, citing higher gas prices linked to the Iran war. The claim as first written said the forecast was for 2025, which is wrong; the figures themselves are right. The IMF raised the 2026 forecast to 1.0% in July.
The evidence
1 of 2 sources support the claim; none contradict it.
How we checked
We checked the claim against Expert Zoom, Hargreaves Lansdown (Sharecast). We reviewed 2 relevant sources.
Sources
- [1]Expert Zoom · IMF slashes UK growth to 0.8%
- [2]Hargreaves Lansdown (Sharecast) · IMF lifts UK growth forecast for 2026, trims global projection
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