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 storm

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• UK economy unexpectedly flatlined in January, ONS data shows

Even before Donald Trump’s Operation Epic Fury on Iran unleashed higher oil prices, threatening the outlook for growth and inflation, the UK economy was flatlining.

That’s the bleak message in the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which showed zero GDP growth in January.