Britain’s economy returned to growth in August, official figures show, as businesses recovered from strikes a month earlier and services grew.

Gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 0.2pc during the month, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Economists had expected a growth of 0.2pc, following a downwardly revised contraction of 0.6pc in July.

It comes after revised ONS figures for the second quarter showed the UK economy performed better than France and Germany since the pandemic.

Statisticians said the British economy is now 1.8pc larger than before Covid, whereas France has grown by 1.7pc since 2020 and Germany 0.2pc.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said the figures show Britain’s economy is “proving the doubters wrong”.

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