12 Feb 2026
The UK economy grew by 0.1% in the final quarter of last year, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The figure was slightly down on the 0.2% expected by economists.
The ONS also reported growth of 0.1% for December, with activity easing following the pre-November slowdown partly blamed on nerves among consumers and the private sector ahead of the Autumn Budget.
Ben Jones, Senior Lead Economist at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), said: 'A softer-than-expected end to last year comes as little surprise given the pressures many businesses experienced throughout the year: uneven demand, rising costs and persistent uncertainty that led key hiring and investment decisions to be deferred.
'Growth last year leant heavily on public spending; the challenge now is to get private sector demand firing too. That depends both on households feeling able to spend more freely and on determined action to remove blockers to investment.
'The Spring Forecast should be a critical delivery moment for the government's growth mission. Businesses want to see government take action to speed up relief for high industrial energy costs, collaborate with firms to find appropriate landing zones for the Employment Rights Act, and make real progress on tax simplification to ease the cost of doing business.'