UK: Economy Grows 0.1% in August

8 HOURS AGO·UPDATED 8 HOURS AGO

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Above: The City of London skyline, U.K., on Sept. 29, 2025. Image copyright: Jason Alden/Bloomberg/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-government narrative

The IMF’s forecast and the ONS’s data are but a few of the green shoots of recovery emerging under Labour, amid rising wages and falling interest rates. However, with many still struggling, more needs to be done. That is why this government is tackling the U.K.’s economic challenges head-on by supporting jobs and skills that will turn the country’s fortunes around.

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Opposition narrative

The ONS’s data underscores that the British economy is flatlining, with the country being kept afloat by rental income and bureaucracy rather than genuine productivity or industry. The figures are a damning indictment of the government, whose growth promises are crashing into reality as businesses struggle under tax hikes and economic stagnation.

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Cynical narrative

Monthly GDP figures are pointless. Every month brings breathless headlines about growth or contraction, yet these numbers are routinely revised to the point of near-unrecognizability months later. The average revision since 2022 exceeds the typical monthly movement itself, making initial readings meaningless. Politicians spin whatever narrative suits them while journalists amplify every decimal point.

Financial Times Oxford Economics