GDP ‘grew robustly’ by 0.7% in third quarter and by 0.2% month on month in September despite high oil prices

• AI helped the UK defy expectations – but will Britain’s resilience fizzle out?

The UK economy grew by 0.7% in the third quarter, its fastest expansion in two and a half years, as the rollout of AI services increased activity.

The Office for National Statistics reported that the economy “grew robustly” in the July to September quarter, almost entirely due to strong and widespread growth in the services sector, led by the IT sector.