Britain’s economy grew just 0.1% in July as the delta expanded

LONDON, Sept. 10 (Reuters) – Britain’s economy barely grew in July, growing only 0.1% from June, the smallest expansion since January, when the country reverted to strict rules on COVID-19 lockdown, official data showed on Friday.

Economists polled by Reuters mainly expected monthly growth of 0.6% in gross domestic product.

Britain saw a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases in July as the Delta variant of the coronavirus took hold, causing hundreds of thousands of workers to stay at home under self-isolation rules that have been relaxed.

The Office for National Statistics said some companies had complained that staff were unable to come to work because they had to self-isolate and a drop in construction output was linked to post-labor issues. lockdown in global supply chains.

Britain’s dominant services sector was stable in July compared to June, as output in consumer services fell for the first time since January, mainly due to a decline in the retail sector .

Industrial production rose 1.2% boosted by a return to production from an oilfield, but manufacturing stagnated.

The production in the construction sector fell by 1.6% in month.

Previously released data had suggested that the post-containment rebound in the economy lost momentum in July, with both retail sales and consumer borrowing declining and businesses signaling slower growth, according to reports. surveys of purchasing managers.

Reporting by William Schomberg and Andy Bruce; Editing by Paul Sandle

Our Standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.