UK GDP stagnates in Q4

'Expectations for UK GDP data were already low'

UK GDP saw no growth in the fourth quarter of 2019 after growth of 0.5% in the previous quarter, according to the first estimate from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The UK's economy stagnated in the final three months of the year, coinciding with the General Election on 12 December. When compared with the same quarter a year earlier, UK GDP increased by 1.1% in the October to December 2019 period. The ONS originally estimated third-quarter growth for 2019 at 0.3% but this was revised upwards to 0.5%. Rob Kent-Smith, head of GDP at the ONS, said: "There was no growth in the last quarter of 2019 as increases in the services and construction sectors were offset by another poor showing from manufacturing, particularly the motor industry." UK ec...