Bleak economic data shows UK plc in trouble well before the Middle East crisis
Zero GDP growth in January will not help Rachel Reeves claim her policies have put UK in a stronger position to weather oil price stormBusiness live – latest updatesUK economy unexpectedly flatlined in January, ONS data showsEven before Donald Trump’s Operation Epic Fury on Iran unleashed...
<p>Zero GDP growth in January will not help Rachel Reeves claim her policies have put UK in a stronger position to weather oil price storm</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/live/2026/mar/13/uk-gdp-report-economy-growing-iran-energy-shock-rachel-reeves-us-consumer-confidence-news-updates">Business live – latest updates</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/mar/13/uk-economy-flatlined-january-iran-war-global-energy-prices-inflation">UK economy unexpectedly flatlined in January, ONS data shows</a></p></li></ul><p>Even before <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/07/from-peace-president-to-operation-epic-fury-donald-trumps-road-to-war">Donald Trump’s Operation Epic Fury</a> on Iran unleashed higher oil prices, threatening the outlook for growth and inflation, the UK economy was flatlining.</p><p>That’s the bleak message in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/mar/13/uk-economy-flatlined-january-iran-war-global-energy-prices-inflation">the latest data</a> from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which showed zero GDP growth in January.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/mar/13/bleak-economic-data-shows-uk-plc-in-trouble-well-before-the-middle-east-crisis">Continue reading...</a>
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