While the figures are a major boost for the Labour government and put the economy on course for a positive first quarter, the respite could be fleeting as the White House started to upend the global economic order with a slew of tariff announcements in March and April.
Britain’s economy posted the strongest growth in almost a year in February — before Donald Trump’s wave of tariffs brought turmoil to global markets and stoked recession fears.
Gross domestic product rose 0.5% after a stagnant January, itself revised up from a previously estimated 0.1% decline, the Office for National Statistics said Friday. It was well above the 0.1% gain predicted by economists, with all the main sectors posting increases.
