UK data suggest growth is lagging

Britain’s Brexit-bound economy is showing little sign that its leaden performance in the first half of 2017 is improving, despite hints of better times for manufacturers.

In July, factory output increased at the fastest pace this year, but this was set against a sharp decline in the construction industry and another lacklustre month for trade.

The world’s fifth-biggest economy continued to lag the strong recovery in the eurozone and is now growing slowly in the third quarter, after suffering its slowest first-half of the year since 2012.