Figures just released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show the economy ground to a halt in January, with no growth recorded. That was despite economists and businesses reporting a brighter start to the year. Economists had expected January to see growth of 0.2 per cent.

Over the three months to January we did see some growth, though just 0.2 per cent. Within that figure, services expanded 0.2 per cent while production grew 1.3 per cent. The positive numbers end there, however, with the construction sector contracting by 2 per cent.

It’s unlikely things are going to get much better as the year goes on. Pretty much........

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