Business · 13 August 2026

UK economy expanded 0.4% in second quarter, official data reveals

Official figures indicate that the UK economy's growth reached 0.4% during the year's second quarter, surpassing certain forecasts. The growth happened despite political uncertainty from Sir Keir Starmer's resignation in June and a May heatwave. Economists report that businesses frequently experience a slowdown during the latter half of the year because of Budget speculation.

By BriefTea Editorial · 13 August 2026 at 7:11

Reported by BBC · How we write briefs

Get the app

Understand this story

What's a 'quarter' anyway? How do we measure the UK economy? Why does growth matter to me?

More briefs

BusinessLondon's top shares reach a seven-week high as investors buy safer British businesses BusinessThames Water needs £2.4B more to avoid government takeover BusinessBritish pound rises against the dollar after the UK economy unexpectedly grows TechnologyFTC Subpoenas OpenAI and Anthropic Over AI Safety WorldUkraine Passes Parcel Tax Bill to Unlock IMF and EU Aid PoliticsBulgarian PM Backs Trump-Putin Diesel Deal at EU Summit More business stories → Browse all stories →