The UK economy grows 0.4% in the second quarter, the Office for National Statistics reports, after 0.6% growth in the first quarter. The figures cover the three months to June and match expectations from City economists.
Multiple outlets link the slowdown to disruption from the ongoing Iran war. The Guardian says the conflict pushes up energy prices, which begins to affect output, while also noting that economists expect the growth rate to fade. The Independent similarly highlights the quarter-on-quarter decline in growth, framing it as part of a broader slowdown associated with the war’s economic effects.
Across sources, the central points are the same: GDP rises in Q2 but at a slower pace than in Q1, and analysts attribute the deceleration to higher energy costs and related disruption stemming from the Iran war. No outlet disputes the direction of the data; the emphasis differs between the energy-price transmission channel and the broader slowdown interpretation.
