UK manufacturing sector 'essentially at a standstill in May' amid Brexit fears

Britain's manufacturing sector eked out modest growth last month after a shock contraction in April, but remained close to stagnation as Brexit fears hit activity.

The closely-watched Markit/CIPS UK Manufacturing purchasing managers' index showed a reading of 50.1 in May, up from 49.4 in April, which had marked the first contraction for more than three years.