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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Larry Elliott Economics editor

UK economy ‘running on empty’ as post-pandemic order books dry up

a couple look through the window of a shop with a big 'closing down sale' sign
Chris Williamson, chief business economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence, says the service sector is already seeing signs of the recent growth spurt moving into reverse. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA

Britain’s economy is starting to “run on empty” as post-pandemic order books dry up and the highest inflation in 40 years affects confidence, the latest snapshot of the private sector has shown.

Flash estimates of the economy’s performance in June showed business optimism at its lowest since the early months of the Covid pandemic in the spring of 2020 and the sharpest drop in new order volumes for a year.

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