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The UK economy recorded no growth in April, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Gross domestic product (GDP) was flat during the month, following growth of 0.4% in March.
The figures come after prime minister Rishi Sunak pegged much of his general election campaign on a recent record of economic improvement under a Conservative government.
Economists had predicted that GDP would be flat in April, held down by weaker-than-usual sales over the Easter period. Earlier evidence had suggested wet weather knocked retail and construction output particularly hard.
It comes after the economy grew by an estimated 0.6% in the first quarter of 2024, pulling the UK out of a small recession at the end of last year.
On a quarterly basis, real gross domestic product is estimated to have grown by 0.7% in the three months to April, compared with the three months to January 2024.
Luke Bartholomew, deputy chief economist at asset management giant abrdn, said monthly GDP data can be volatile, and that it is “important not to put too much stead in just one month of data and look at the broader trend across several months”.
He added: “And on that measure, a picture of solid recovery from last year’s recession emerges. This should continue as the year progresses as households benefit from strong real income growth amid falling inflation.”
Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves from the Labour Party claimed this shows the economy has “stalled”.
She said: “Rishi Sunak claims we have turned a corner, but the economy has stalled and there is no growth.
“These figures expose the damage done after 14 years of Conservative chaos.”
Liberal Democrat Treasury spokeswoman Sarah Olney added: “As Rishi Sunak’s time as prime minister peters out, so does the UK’s economic growth.
“The Conservatives have utterly failed to deliver the growth they repeatedly promised, instead presiding over stagnation and economic misery for hardworking families across the country.”
But chancellor Jeremy Hunt said the figures showed the economy “grew by 0.7% in the three months to April”.
“There is more to do, but the economy is turning a corner and inflation is back down to normal,” he said.
He said the Tories had a plan to grow the economy and cut taxes, but voting Labour would “risk all that progress”.
The Green Party is expected to publish its general election manifesto on Wednesday, with a pledge to tax multimillionaires and billionaires to fund improvements to health, housing, transport and the economy.
