British retail sales slid by far more than expected in April as rainy weather kept shoppers away, in more mixed economic news for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ahead of a national election, data showed on Friday. Sales volumes dropped by 2.3% in April alone after a 0.2% fall in March, which was downwardly revised from a flat reading, the Office for National Statistics said. The data was worse than any economist predicted in a Reuters poll, which had pointed to a drop of around 0.4% on the month.