UK economy stagnates in February amid impact of strikes
Junior doctors hold placards during a strike, amid a dispute with the government over pay, in London, Britain April 11.
The United Kingdom's (UK) economy recorded no growth in February as a wave of public sector strikes offset the growth in other sectors, according to data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Thursday.
The services sector fell by 0.1 percent and production output by 0.2 percent, while the construction sector grew by 2.4 percent last month after a poor January, the ONS said.
Darren Morgan, director of economic statistics at ONS, attributed the stagnation to the effects of civil service and teachers' strikes, which impacted the public sector, and an unseasonably mild weather, which led to falls in electricity and gas consumption.
On the positive side, economic growth in January was revised up to 0.4 percent from 0.3 percent, and the country's gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 0.1 percent in the three months to February.
However, economists don't expect major growth in the coming months. "Even if the UK avoids a recession this year, the pressures on household incomes will continue to sap the economy of any real momentum in the near-term," said Alpesh Paleja, lead economist at the Confederation of British Industry.
"Whilst lower energy bills and falling inflation should set the stage for an uplift in the second half of the year, risks to the outlook remain to the downside," Palejasaid.
