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Business live
‘Sigh of relief’ for Labour as UK economy returns to growth in August, but trade deficit widens
Live  
‘Sigh of relief’ for Labour as UK economy returns to growth in August, but trade deficit widens
Accountancy, retail and many manufacturers had strong months, says Office for National Statistics, as GDP rises by 0.2% in August
Headlines
GDP  
UK economy returns to growth in boost to Rachel Reeves before budget
UK economy returns to growth in boost to Rachel Reeves before budget
Exclusive  
Rachel Reeves considers raising capital gains tax to 39%
Environment  
Green energy firms promise more than £24bn of new investment in Britain
Poppy Gustafsson  
Ex-Darktrace CEO appointed UK investment minister
Transport  
UK must prepare for widespread road pricing, says infrastructure tsar
Employment law  
Employers must protect workers from sexual harassment under new bill
Inquiry  
CEO says Post Office should be stripped of responsibility for compensation
Retail industry  
Ikea says cutting prices ‘remains a priority’ after UK sales slide
Farming  
Harvest in England the second worst on record because of wet weather
Portugal  
Country proposes decade of tax breaks for young people to stem brain drain
Football  
Reading sale jeopardised by owner Dai Yongge’s £55m debt to Chinese bank
Fantasy house hunt  
Homes for sale on high streets in Great Britain
Today's agenda
The UK economy has returned to growth.

UK GDP rose by 0.2% in August, data released by the Office for National Statistics shows, after no growth in June and July.

That is in line with City forecasts.

It is a welcome boost for the government, after growth flatlined earlier in the summer amid wet weather and the cost of living squeeze.

The services, production and construction sectors all expanded in August, today’s GDP report shows.

Services output grew by 0.1% in August 2024, after an unrevised increase of 0.1% in July 2024, and grew by 0.1% in the three months to August 2024.

Production output grew by 0.5% in August 2024, after a revised fall of 0.7% in July 2024 (this was a 0.8% fall in the last publication), but showed no growth in the three months to August 2024.

Construction output grew by 0.4% in August 2024, after an unrevised fall of 0.4% in July 2024, and grew by 1% in the three months to August 2024.

UK retailers and manufacturers had a good August, the ONS said.

Liz McKeown, an ONS director of economic statistics, said: “All main sectors of the economy grew in August, but the broader picture is one of slowing growth in recent months, compared to the first half of the year.

"In August, accountancy, retail and many manufacturers had strong months, while construction also recovered from July’s contraction. These were partially offset by falls in wholesaling and oil extraction.”

The agenda
• 1.30pm BST: US producer prices index for September
• 3pm BST: US University of Michigan’s consumer confidence survey

We’ll be tracking all the main events throughout the day ...
Nils Pratley on finance
Not all credit goes to Ratan Tata – but he did shape investment in UK steel and JLR
Not all credit goes to Ratan Tata – but he did shape investment in UK steel and JLR
Opinion
Editorial  
The Guardian view on the employment rights bill: a fairer deal for the world of work
The Guardian view on the employment rights bill: a fairer deal for the world of work
Advertisement
Media
Victoria Roshchyna  
Ukrainian reporter died in Russian detention, Kyiv says
Ukrainian reporter died in Russian detention, Kyiv says
US elections  
Trump demands CBS be stripped of licence over edited Harris interview
Spotlight
Elon Musk unveils Tesla Cybercab self-driving robotaxi
Automotive industry  
Elon Musk unveils Tesla Cybercab self-driving robotaxi
Billionaire says autonomous car expected ‘before 2027’ will have a price tag of less than US$30,000, with a ‘Robovan’ that can carry 20 people to follow
Popular on business
Sanjeev Gupta prosecuted for failing to file accounts for more than 70 companies
Sanjeev Gupta prosecuted for failing to file accounts for more than 70 companies
September inflation lowest in three years as price growth continued decline
Slash and burn: is private equity out of control?
New HSBC boss ‘ready to cut jobs of senior bankers to save $300m’
Unilever sells Russian business after pressure from campaigners
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