Strong UK GDP figures expected for 2013
Official figures are expected to show the UK's economic growth in
2013 was the strongest since 2007, the year before the financial crisis.
Business Secretary Vince Cable said on Monday there was a real
recovery under way, but warned it remained fragile. He said it
represented the "end of the beginning rather than the beginning of the
end."
Robust GDP growth at the end of the year would follow a good set of
numbers in the previous quarter. The data is also expected to confirm
that 2013 was the first year since 2007 that saw constant economic
expansion.
In the third quarter the economy grew at 0.8% and analysts expect a
similar - or slightly lower - reading for the final three months of the
year.
Cable said that although a recovery was taking place, it was not yet
balanced.
BBC chief economics correspondent Hugh Pym said if the gross domestic
product (GDP) figures are in line with expectations, it would suggest
the economy grew by nearly 2% last year.
Although better than the past five years, economic growth remains
well below 2007, when growth was at 3.4%. There was a marked drop in UK
unemployment last week - the jobless rate now stands at 7.1%.
BBC
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