UK economy grew 1.8% as lockdown started to ease

The UK economy grew by 1.8% in May as activity began to recover as the coronavirus lockdown eased, according to the ONS (Picture: PA/Getty)

The UK economy grew by 1.8% in May as activity began to recover as the
coronavirus lockdown eased, the Office for National Statistics has said.

Jonathan Athow, ONS deputy national statistician, said: ‘Manufacturing and house-building showed signs of recovery as some businesses saw staff return to work.

‘Despite this, the economy was still a quarter smaller in May than in February, before the full effects of the pandemic struck.

‘In the important services sector we saw some pick-up in retail, which saw record online sales.

‘However, with lockdown restrictions remaining in place, many other services remained in the doldrums, with a number of areas seeing further declines.’

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