The British economy posted its best growth in 18 months in March, the new data indicated on Friday, bringing a certain relief to Chancellor Rachel Reeves at the end of a scorching week.
Preliminary data from the Office for National Statistics have shown that gross domestic product has increased by 0.5% compared to January, helped by strong contributions from industry and construction.
The monthly series of ONS GDP is notoriously volatile, and the quality of its economic data in general has been the subject of a meticulous examination in recent months, but the analysts have said that the figures have always provided a basis for optimism. A less volatile measure that follows GDP over three months has shown that it increased 0.6% between three months to November. The ons also revised its figures for January to show that unchanged GDP, rather than the 0.1% drop initially reported.
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