Britain may avoid a recession for now as consumers spend

World Cup football matches boosted consumer-facing businesses and helped offset the impact of strikes, says ONS

Despite the surprise boost in November, monthly GDP is now estimated to be 0.3% below its pre-coronavirus levels. Photographer: Carlos Jasso/Bloomberg

The UK economy may avoid tumbling into recession until later this year as consumers kept spending through the worst cost-of-living squeeze in memory.

Gross domestic product unexpectedly rose 0.1% in November, the Office for National Statistics said on Friday. Economists had expected a small decline after growth in October.