THE UK economy grew by 4.8% in the second quarter of 2021, the Office for National Statistics has announced.
Gross domestic product (GDP) increased by a further 1% in June, meaning there have been five consecutive months of growth. The economy also speeded up from 0.6% growth in May, the ONS said.
Lockdown restrictions slowly eased in the four UK nations through much of the quarter.
Another major contributor to the growth was GP surgeries across the country.
The number of people visiting their doctors for non-Covid complaints rose, increasing the consumption of health services by 5.1% in the second quarter.
This was also helped by UK Government spending on Test and Trace and the vaccination programme, the ONS said.
READ MORE: Ian Blackford urges Scots to back independence amid Brexit disruption
Deputy national statistician for economic statistics Jonathan Athow said: "The UK economy has continued to rebound strongly, with hospitality benefiting from the first full month of indoor dining, while spending on advertising was boosted by the reopening of many services.
"Health services also showed growth, with many more people visiting their GP.
"GDP is still around two percentage points below its pre-pandemic peak."
Energy usage dropped as summer arrived in the UK, the ONS said.
Economists at Pantheon Macroeconomics had expected GDP to grow by 0.6% in June, and 4.7% across the quarter.
The Bank of England, meanwhile, had predicted growth of 5% across the quarter.
However, the surge of the Covid-19 Delta variant and the boom in the number of people self-isolating undermined some of this growth.
Nevertheless, the data marks a major improvement from the first months of the year.
In the first quarter the economy contracted by 1.6% as it battled with prolonged lockdowns.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: "I know there are still challenges to overcome, but I feel confident in the strength of the UK economy and the resilience of the British people."
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel