Manufacturing and industrial production weakened in May, falling by 0.9%, following a 0.6% drop in April. However, output in the production sector rose 0.2% in the latest three-month comparison.
The construction sector also reported a 0.6% decrease in May, reversing some of April’s 0.8% increase. Still, it showed stronger momentum over the three months to May, growing by 1.2%..
GDP fell 0.1% in May 2025 but grew 0.5% in the three months to May.
Services grew (+0.1%) in May but production (-0.9%) and construction (-0.6%) both fell.
Read more ➡️ https://t.co/r97elCzE81 pic.twitter.com/QBE7z0s1uu
— Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) July 11, 2025
“The economy contracted slightly in May with notable falls in production and construction, only partially offset by growth in services,” said Liz McKeown, ONS director of economic statistics.
“However, across the latest three months as a whole, the economy still grew. This reflected strength earlier in the year that resulted, in part, from some activity being brough forward to February and March.”
For Richard Pike, chief sales and marketing officer at mortgage servicing provider Phoebus, this new monthly drop in gross domestic product (GDP) “highlights just how fragile the UK’s economic recovery remains.”