Weak UK consumer spending is denting business mood, says CBI

All UK business sectors reported falling business volumes, the CBI says, pulling its growth index down to -27% in February, from -23% a month earlier. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian

Business activity across the UK private sector declined in the last three months, a survey has found, as weak consumer spending hits companies.

The latest growth indicator produced by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) shows that UK private sector activity fell again in the three months to February, at a faster rate than in the quarter to January.