Key facts
- The ONS said third-quarter growth matched forecasts in a Reuters poll of economists.
- ONS chief economist Grant Fitzner said services drove almost all of the quarterly growth.
- Fitzner said computer programming grew at its fastest rate in three years, with AI-linked businesses helping output.
- The Guardian reported fuel prices above $100 a barrel weighed on third-quarter growth.
Britain's economy grew 0.7% in the third quarter of 2026, the Office for National Statistics said on November 12, 2026, up from 0.5% in the second quarter and matching forecasts in a Reuters poll of economists.
The ONS said September GDP rose 0.2% and revised August growth to zero. Chief economist Grant Fitzner said the quarterly expansion was almost entirely due to services, with computer programming registering its fastest growth in three years and AI-linked businesses helping to lift output. Car leasing, intellectual property and property management also contributed, he said.
The Guardian reported that fuel prices above $100 a barrel, driven by the Middle East conflict, weighed on third-quarter growth. Chancellor John Healey said the figures showed the economy growing at the fastest rate in nearly a decade outside the pandemic, and that the Middle East conflict had hit growth worldwide while Britain was showing resilience.