UK economy stalls in Q2

The zero growth outturn superseded the previous estimate of 0.2pc and ended a run of 64 successive quarters of economic growth. It places the UK on the brink of recession, defined as two successive quarters of contraction. Year-on-year, the pace of growth slipped to 1.4pc, the weakest recorded since 1992. Richard Snook, economist at the cebr, said: "The only significant segment of the economy that expanded was government final consumption expenditure, which rose by 0.4pc in the second quarter. It seems that Brown and Darling's more generous interpretation of their fiscal rules has kept t...