LONDON (AP) — U.K. trade with the European Union plunged in January as Britain’s departure from the bloc and widespread coronavirus restrictions dealt a double blow to the nation’s struggling economy. Official figures released Friday show that goods exports to the EU fell 40.7% from a month earlier and imports dropped 28.8%. The figures contributed to a 2.9% month-on-month decline in overall economic output. Britain left the European single market on Jan. 1, ending almost half a century of free trade and triggering tariffs, increased paperwork and border delays on both sides of the English Channel. Economists said the scale of the decline reflected the disruption caused by Brexit.
