The º£½ÇÊÓƵ economy experienced a significant boost, growing by 0.7 per cent in the first quarter of the year, according to official data.
This surge suggests that businesses increased production in anticipation of Chancellor Rachel Reeves's tax hikes in April and the potential impact of President Donald Trump's tariffs, as reported by .
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported a 0.2 per cent growth in March, following a 0.5 per cent rise in GDP the previous month, which contributed to the substantial quarterly increase.
Contrary to a Bloomberg poll of economists predicting no change in GDP for March, the ONS revealed a slight uptick.
Rachel Reeves's growth mission
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has prioritized delivering growth "further and faster" through reforms in pension investments, energy, and planning rules to stimulate output.
The new GDP figures indicate that firms have increased production for two consecutive months ahead of the April tax rises and President Trump's looming tariff threats.
Additionally, GDP per capita rose by 0.5 per cent, benefiting Brits after months of stagnation and decline.
Liz McKeown, director of economic statistics at the ONS, noted that services, retail, computer programming, car leasing, and advertising all had a "strong quarter". McKeown stated: "The economy grew strongly in the first quarter of the year, largely driven by services though production also grew significantly, after a period of decline."
Rachel Reeves commented: "Today's growth figures show the strength and potential of the º£½ÇÊÓƵ economy.
"In the first three months of the year, the º£½ÇÊÓƵ economy has grown faster than the US, Canada, France, Italy and Germany.
"Up against a backdrop of global uncertainty we are making the right choices now in the national interest. Since the election we have already had four interest rate cuts, signed two trade deals, saved British Steel and given a pay rise to millions by increasing the minimum wage."
Some economists and investors have suggested that a 1.1 per cent increase in production at the start of the year reflects firms' concerns about the impact of President Trump's tariffs.
Scott Gardner, investment strategist at JP Morgan, said: "It could be argued that growth in the first quarter was 'made in America' after the spectre of tariffs pre-'Liberation Day' encouraged some inventory stocking of º£½ÇÊÓƵ made goods."
Paul Dales from Capital Economics noted: "As it appears to have been driven by large rises in aircraft, IT equipment and machinery equipment, all of which are areas that Trump has targeted with tariffs, it's probably the case that businesses spent to get ahead of US tariffs imposed in mid-March and at the start of April."
Following an unexpected spike in the º£½ÇÊÓƵ economy at the start of the year, experts anticipate a return to near-stagnant growth after Rachel Reeves's tax increases.
º£½ÇÊÓƵ economy to stagnate
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) predicts this year's º£½ÇÊÓƵ growth will hover around one per cent.
While the Bank of England officials have adjusted their forecasts to align with the OBR, they characterised the first-quarter growth as "erratic", attributing it to increased manufacturing output.
Records from the Central Bank's most recent interest rate meeting indicate that actual GDP growth, reflecting true economic activity across sectors, is expected to be virtually nil. The repercussions of Rachel Reeves's tax increments are yet to impact the economy.
A slightly more optimistic outlook comes from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), projecting º£½ÇÊÓƵ GDP growth at 1.1 per cent by 2025; however, this figure represents a downgrade from its earlier estimate of 1.6 per cent.
Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride criticised Labour's economic strategies for the forecasting downgrades and claimed that "only the Conservatives" champion low taxes and minimal regulation.
Snap forecasts are currently being approached with a degree of caution due to President Trump's inconsistent approach to tariffs and the paucity of details on government policies, among them the forthcoming industrial strategy, amendments to worker rights in the Employment Rights Bill, and the recently-issued immigration white paper.
The º£½ÇÊÓƵ has struck an agreement with the US that will see tariffs on steel eliminated and those on car exports reduced from 25 per cent to ten per cent for a quota of 100,000 units, offering relief to jittery markets following a volatile April.
In a move suggesting a de-escalation in the trade war, China has also secured a provisional reduction of US tariffs on its goods from 145 per cent to just 30 per cent.
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey has pressed the government for the forging of additional trade deals, with expectations high for a new set of agreements with the European Union, the º£½ÇÊÓƵ's nearest trading ally, potentially being announced as soon as the coming Monday during a scheduled summit.
While such deals may cushion some effects of worldwide volatility, the consensus amongst most economists points towards a drop in global demand attributed to heightened trade barriers, which could weigh down on the º£½ÇÊÓƵ economy and prompt Rachel Reeves to enforce further reductions later this year.
Senior Economist at Schroders, George Brown, commented that growth is poised to "moderate later this year", while Ben Jones of the Confederation of British Industry remarked that the robust performance observed in Q1 is likely to be a "one-off."
