UK economic growth has fallen by half, forecasters say

Expected growth of 0.2% for February turns into 0.2% decline, ONS data shows

Economic growth in the UK is expected to have fallen by half in the opening months of the year, one of Britain's leading forecasting bodies has said, amid renewed concerns for the health of the economy.

The National Institute for Economic and Social Research (NIESR) said growth was set to fall to 0.2% in the first quarter of 2018 from 0.4% in the final three months of last year, when the economy enjoyed a mini-recovery despite an overall slowdown in 2017 triggered by the Brexit vote.