Official figures show that Britain's economy grew almost twice as strongly as expected in the second quarter of this year. The performance was lifted by a sharp pick-up in services output and the fastest rise in construction output in almost 50 years. The Office for National Statistics said gross domestic product jumped 1.1% compared with the first quarter, the fastest rise in four years. The annual growth rate of 1.6% was the highest in two years.
The figures, which were well above even the highest forecasts, may raise doubts over how long the Bank of England will keep interest rates at their record low, particularly with inflation running so far above target.
Britain's services sector enjoyed its fastest growth in three years, expanding by 0.9% on the quarter - three times as fast as in Q1 and contributing 0.7% to growth. Manufacturing grew 1.6 percent, its biggest rise in more than 10 years.
Construction, meanwhile, leapt by 6.6% on the quarter - its fastest rate since 1963. The construction data was based for the first time on a new monthly survey, rather than estimates which were previously used.