UK economy slows, hitting government growth plans

London: Britain s economy grew less than expected in the third quarter, official data showed Friday, dealing a blow to the Labour government that has...

London: Britain's economy grew less than expected in the third quarter, official data showed Friday, dealing a blow to the Labour government that has set its sights on growth expansion.

Gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 0.1 percent in the July-September period, a slowdown compared to 0.5-percent growth in the second quarter, the Office for National Statistics said.

The data covers the period of the Labour government's first few months in office and lead up to its highly-anticipated maiden budget at the end of October.

The latest GDP figure lagged behind economist forecasts of 0.2-percent growth, with analysts partly attributing the slowdown to uncertainty ahead of the budget that included business tax rises and plans for higher state borrowing.

'Not satisfied'