This slight increase was primarily driven by a recovery in Christmas spending and manufacturing in December, defying economist predictions of a 0.1% contraction.

Britain registered unexpected growth at the end of 2024, a reprieve for the Labour government after a woeful run of economic indicators.

The UK economy unexpectedly grew in the final three months of last year following a boost to the construction and services sectors. The economy expanded by 0.1% between October and December, according to official figures, despite analysts predicting it would contract.

Britain's economy unexpectedly grew by 0.1% in the final quarter of last year, official figures showed on Thursday, offering some respite from a downbeat economic picture facing finance minister Rachel Reeves,