UK economy

The economy surged ahead far better than expected in the second quarter of the year, growing by 1.1%.

Most analysts expected growth closer to 0.6%, but the Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures were much more bullish.

The figure reflects a greatly improved performance on the first quarter of the year, when the economy grew by 0.3%.

The key services industry, which constitutes about three quarters of the UK economy, was responsible for most of the growth.