Good morning. The UK economy grew by 2.3 per cent in April, its best performance since July 2020, as outdoor hospitality and non-essential shops reopened, official figures have revealed. The rate of growth is slightly above the consensus forecast of economists, which was 2.2 per cent according to Reuters, as the economy starts to bounce back from the Covid-19 crisis thanks to lockdown restrictions easing. The service sector grew by 3.4 per cent month-on-month, although manufacturing fell by 1.3 per cent and construction dropped by 2 per cent. SponsoredOverall, GDP in April remained 3.7 per cent below its pre-pandemic levels but was 1.2 per cent above where it was in October 2020, before a new wave of Covid-19 infections and restrictions hit the economy.

Source: The Times June 11, 2021 07:52 UTC