The British economy grew by 0.2 percent in the first quarter of this year, continuing its recovery from recession but at a slower pace than expected, official statisticians said on Friday.
The statistical office announced that activities increased again in the quarter from January to March compared to the previous three months, primarily due to growth in the business and financial services sector, but the rate is lower than in the last three months of last year when it was 0.4 percent. In that quarter, the United Kingdom emerged from an 18-month recession. The economy is a key topic in the election campaign for the parliamentary elections to be held in less than two weeks. The report published on Friday represents the first estimate of gross domestic product for the first quarter and the rate could be revised after statisticians process more data on economic performance. Thus, the first estimate of growth for the fourth quarter was 0.1 percent, which was subsequently revised to 0.4 percent. (H)
