UK growth augurs well for this year and next

The UK economy has experienced a marked improvement in 2013, with growth picking up in the first half of the year, after it stagnated last year.

The preliminary estimate of GDP growth in the second quarter showed that the economy registered quarterly growth of 0.6%.

This followed a 0.3% increase in the first quarter and is the first time since 2011 that the economy registered two consecutive quarters of growth.