Treasury says Q1 GDP drop does not alter recovery forecast

LONDON (Reuters) - The sharper than expected fall in economic output in the first quarter of this year does not alter the government's forecast for a recovery by the end of the year, Treasury minister Yvette Cooper said on Friday.

Official data on Friday showed GDP fell 1.9 percent in the first three months of this year, worse than forecasts for a 1.5 percent drop and the sharpest decline since 1979.

Asked by BBC television if that would change government forecasts, Cooper said: "No. We continue to be clear that we believe the economy will start to recover towards the end of this year and then build for a strong recovery after that."