UK economy slows less than expected in second quarter

Britain’s economy grew by a faster-than-expected 0.3% in the second quarter of 2025 after growth of 0.7% in the first three months of the year, offering a boost to finance minister Rachel Reeves, official figures showed on Thursday.
Economists polled by Reuters, as well as the Bank of England, had forecast 0.1% growth in gross domestic product for the April-June period.
Thursday’s data from the Office for National Statistics showed British GDP rose by 0.4% in June alone after a 0.1% fall in output in May due to surprisingly strong growth across services, industrial output and construction.
Output in the second quarter overall was up 1.2% from the same period last year compared to a median forecast from economists for 1.0% growth.
Sterling rose slightly against the dollar after the data.