UK manufacturing in recession despite faster GDP growth

Warmer weather helps British economy grow by 0.4% but factory orders drop again

Warmer weather helped the British economy grow at a faster pace in the three months to the end of June, despite official figures showing the manufacturing sector slumped into recession for the first time since the Brexit vote.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said GDP increased by 0.4% in the second quarter from a rate of 0.2% in the previous three months, helped by stronger retail sales and good weather, which enabled the construction industry to make up lost ground from heavy snow earlier this year.

Gross domestic product (GDP) is a key government statistic and provides a measure of the UK's total economic activity.