Britain's economy grew more than expected in February, official data showed Friday, in a rare piece of good news for a Labour government that has made kickstarting growth a top priority.
Gross domestic product rose 0.5 per cent in the month, rebounding from an upwardly revised figure of zero per cent growth in January, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
The figures are an unexpected boost for the government – battling stubborn inflation and uncertainty over US tariffs – and comes after the country recently halved its 2025 growth forecast.
Analysts had estimated a 0.1 per cent increase in GDP in February, after previous unrevised data had shown that the economy slightly shrank in January.
"These growth figures are an encouraging sign, but we are not complacent," said chancellor Rachel Reeves.
"The world has changed, and we have witnessed that change in recent weeks," she added, as US president Donald Trump's sweeping stop-start tariffs roil global markets.
Analysts warn that the 10 per cent levy on Britain's imports to the United States could further weaken business and consumer sentiment.
"I know this is an anxious time for families who are worried about the cost of living and British businesses who are worried about what this change means for them," Reeves said.
ONS director of economic statistics Liz McKeown noted that there was "widespread growth across both services and manufacturing industries," in February.
"Across the last three months as a whole, the economy also grew strongly with broad-based growth across services industries," she added.
(AFP)
