UK Growth Disappoints at End of Year as Services Stagnate

The UK economy grew less than forecast in the fourth quarter as business investment shrank and services stagnated, adding to pressure on embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Gross domestic product rose 0.1%, the Office for National Statistics said Thursday. It followed growth of 0.1% in the third quarter and fell short of the 0.2% median estimate of economists surveyed by Bloomberg. The economy expanded just 0.1% in December alone. The pound held losses following the data.