UK economy grows 0.6% in second quarter

(Sharecast News) - The UK economy grew 0.6% in the second quarter, down slightly on 0.7% growth in the first quarter but in line with expectations, according to data released on Thursday by the Office for National Statistics. The figures also revealed that on a monthly basis, the economy showed no growth in June, as expected.

Liz McKeown, director of economic statistics at the ONS, said: "The UK economy has now grown strongly for two quarters, following the weakness we saw in the second half of last year.

"Growth across the three months was led by the service sector, where scientific research, the IT industry and legal services all did well."