LONDON, Feb 13: Britain's economy surprisingly picked up at the end of last year, official data showed Thursday, relieving some pressure on the Labour government as the country faces up to US tariffs.
Gross domestic product expanded 0.1 percent in the October-December period after zero growth in the third quarter of 2024, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a statement.
Analysts' consensus forecast was for the UK economy to have contracted slightly in the fourth quarter.
The data hands a reprieve to the government of Prime Minister Keir Starmer which has put growing the UK economy at the top of its mission since Labour won a general election in July after 14 years in opposition to the Conservatives.
The economy had struggled to grow during Labour's first few months in office as inflation remained elevated.
Blame has also been heaped on finance minister Rachel Reeves after she hiked a tax on businesses in her inaugural budget.
"The growth numbers have come in higher than many expected, but I'm still not satisfied with the level of growth that our economy is achieving," Chancellor of the Exchequer Reeves told broadcasters following Thursday's data.
In an official Treasury statement, Reeves said she was determined to help grow the UK economy, in large part by easing regulation on building new infrastructure.
"For too long, politicians have accepted an economy that has failed working people. I won't.
"After 14 years of flatlining living standards, we are going further and faster through our plan for change to put more money in people's pockets," Reeves added. —AFP
