UK economy grows for first time in three months

The UK economy grew for the first time in three months, driven in part by a boost in trade for pubs and restaurants.

Official figures showed an expansion 0.1% after the economy shrank in each of the two previous months.

The return to growth will be a welcome sign for the government after recent turbulence in financial markets sent its borrowing costs to the highest level for several years and the value of the pound fell.

But the figure was lower than economists had expected, with declines in manufacturing and business rentals and leasing.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves reiterated her pledge to go "further and faster" to improve economic growth in order to boost living standards, declaring it was the "number one priority" for the government.

"That means generating investment, driving reform and a relentless commitment to root out waste in public spending," she said.

Figures showed the services sector drove the marginal growth in November, with pubs, restaurants and IT companies performing well.

Construction also grew, led by new commercial developments, the Office for National Statistics said, but production continued to decline in November with further falls across several manufacturing industries and oil and gas extraction companies.

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