UK economy beats forecasts with growth in March

Newsflash: The UK economy kept growing in March, despite the economic damage caused by the Iran war.

UK GDP rose by 0.3% in March 2026, the Office for National Statistics has reported, beating forecasts of a contraction of 0.2%.

That follows growth of 0.4% in February and no growth in January (revised down from growths of 0.5% and 0.1% previously estimated).

The ONS adds.

double quotation mark Services and construction output both grew, by 0.3% and 1.5%, respectively - these growths were partially offset by a 0.2% fall in production.

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