London CNN  —  The United Kingdom has come out of a short and shallow recession, official figures showed Friday, giving Prime Minister Rishi Sunak a sorely needed boost ahead of an election expected later this year. Gross domestic product grew 0.6% in the first three months of the year, according to preliminary data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The increase follows falls of 0.3% in the fourth quarter and 0.1% in the third quarter of last year. A recession is commonly defined as two consecutive quarters of economic contraction. The expansion early this year was driven by “widespread growth” in the service sector, where output ticked up 0.7% during the quarter, the ONS said. The news will provide some relief to Sunak and his ruling Conservative Party, which suffered heavy losses in local elections last week, boding ill for the party’s chances in the general election. Sunak suffered further embarrassment this week when one of his lawmakers defected to the opposition Labour Party.