UK economy flatlines with no growth in February as strikes hit productivity

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The UK financial system flatlined in February, with no development in GDP, in line with official figures.

Civil service strikes and low power consumption offset development in areas corresponding to building – which grew 2.4%, the Workplace for Nationwide Statistics (ONS) knowledge confirmed.

The flatlining was sudden. Economists polled by the Reuters information company had forecast slight development of 0.1% for the month.

ONS figures confirmed providers manufacturing fell by 0.1% within the month, following development of 0.7% in January 2023.

The biggest contributor to unfavorable development within the providers business was schooling, which fell 1.7% in a month the place teacher strikes befell.

One other strikes hit sector, public administration, was the second largest contributor to unfavorable development within the providers business.

What’s GDP and why does it matter?

GDP stands for gross home product and measures the sum complete of every thing produced within the financial system.

Politicians discuss so much about financial development.

Former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng focused medium time period development of two.5% in his September mini-budget and financial development is the second precedence within the prime minister’s 5 key pledges to the general public for 2023.

Increased financial development brings elevated tax revenues into the Treasury – and sure larger incomes and requirements of dwelling.

As a part of his concentrate on financial development, Rishi Sunak says rising the financial system will create better-paid jobs and alternatives throughout the nation.

However a side-effect of rising GDP can be rising greenhouse gasoline emissions.

The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Local weather Change) stated that GDP and inhabitants development “remained the strongest drivers of CO2 emissions from fossil gasoline combustion within the final decade”.

Development grew because of restore works going down and retail output increased as many outlets had a “buoyant month”, the ONS’s director of financial statistics, Darren Morgan stated.

Unseasonably delicate and dry climate led to decreased manufacturing of electrical energy and gasoline, Mr Morgan added. Output within the arts, leisure and recreation industries grew, nonetheless.

It adopted growth of 0.4% in January and affirmation the UK financial system avoided recession within the second half of 2022 and really grew 0.1% within the last three months of the 12 months.

The latest projections from the unbiased financial forecaster, the Workplace for Funds Duty (OBR), stated the UK will avoid recession – outlined as two consecutive quarters of unfavorable development – in 2023, regardless of previous predictions.

However the financial system will nonetheless shrink general this 12 months by an anticipated 0.2%, and the fiscal watchdog warned living standards are to fall by the largest amount since data started.

Learn extra:
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Why demand for cash is lowest for 20 years
All the Barclays branches closing in 2023

On a quarterly foundation, the financial system grew barely. Within the three months to February, the ONS stated GDP, a measure of financial development, elevated by 0.1%.

Nonetheless, responding to the flatlining, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt remained upbeat in regards to the figures.

He stated: “The financial outlook is trying brighter than anticipated – GDP grew within the three months to February and we’re set to keep away from recession because of the steps we’ve taken by means of an enormous package deal of value of dwelling help for households and radical reforms to spice up the roles market and enterprise funding.”

However Labour’s shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves criticised the federal government’s file on financial development.

She stated: “Regardless of our monumental promise and potential as a rustic, Britain remains to be lagging behind on the worldwide stage with development on the ground.

“The fact of development inching alongside is households worse off, excessive streets in decline and a weaker financial system that leaves us weak to shocks.

“These outcomes are precisely why Labour’s mission to safe the very best sustained development within the G7 is so necessary – it is that stage of ambition that we have to strengthen our financial system, get our excessive streets thriving once more and make households throughout each a part of Britain higher off.”

The Financial institution of England’s chief economist stated the flatlining financial system was “considerably disappointing” however was nonetheless a major enchancment from its earlier forecast of a recession.

Huw Tablet, talking at a panel occasion with Market Information Worldwide Join, stated: “Final summer time we have been forecasting a fairly deep, and definitely a really extended, recession within the UK.

“Relative to that, the flatlining of the financial system that we’re seeing, by way of the evolution of GDP, is a fairly important enchancment.”

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