UK economy grows in April

April’s GDP figures met expectations of modest growth (0.2%), with output rebounding following March’s decline, when activity was weighed down by poor weather and industrial action in health, education and the civil service. April’s rise in GDP was driven by an expansion in services output, which offset declines in production and construction.

While these figures re-affirm that the UK has side-stepped a recession so far, underlying growth (as measured on a 3-month rolling basis) was only 0.1%—weak from a historical perspective and leaving GDP just 0.