UK economy grows 0.4% in second quarter of year

The UK economy grew by 0.4% in the second quarter of this year, official figures show. This is slower than the 0.6% growth recorded in the first quarter, but still a solid result. The services sector performed well, growing by 0.5%, while construction rose by 0.3%. Production, however, showed no growth. In June alone, the economy expanded by 0.3%, which was better than many economists had predicted. They had expected a small fall of 0.1% that month. Compared to the same period last year, the economy is 1.2% larger. The stronger-than-expected June result helped ease worries about a slowdown, showing that the UK economy remained in good shape through most of the quarter.