The UK’s economic recovery lost its buzz even before Omicron appeared

Revised data suggests output was already weakening before the arrival of the latest Covid variant, writes Anna Isaac

The UK might post strong growth in 2021 compared to G7 peers, but that must be compared to how hard its economy was hit 2020 (PA Archive)

The UK economy did not motor as quickly as first thought in the three months to September, according to new data. The figures will raise questions about how robust the pre-Omicron recovery was, particularly as a wave of infections and self-isolation again grips the country.

Growth has been trimmed from 1.3 per cent to 1.1 per cent in the three months to September, and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) notes that a key reason the UK’s weak performance in international trade compared to its peers.

Despite politicians highlighting the benefits of a new, post-Brexit independent trade policy, the data so far suggests that the UK has struggled to reap the benefits of the global uptick in trade volumes as major economies began to recover from the pandemic’s toll.