General · 21 May 2026
UK services shrink: Payrolls fall for 20th straight month
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Workers and firms could face weaker growth after Britain’s biggest industry shrank sharply in May. Fresh S&P Global figures showed the services index dropped to 47.9, its lowest reading outside the pandemic since July 2016, as worries over politics and the Iran war hit demand. Services make up about 80% of the UK economy, while payroll numbers declined for a twentieth straight month.
Reported by The Guardian · How we write briefs