The government will switch from the usual 3 monthly growth figures to a one month figure for November as it showed a 0.3% positive advance. The three monthly figure to November was still in the mire at 0.1%. What the figures show is despite all the bad policies dragging down all too many sectors, there remains some life in UK services sufficient to give the UK a slightly higher growth rate than the Eurozone and EU which the government wants us to copy more closely.
The worst news in the figures is the continuing fall in construction output. That was down 1.15 for the three months and down 1.3% in November. You would expect construction of new shops and offices to be depressed by the lack of investment and the high taxes. You would expect private sector housing to be depressed by the squeeze on incomes and by high house prices. What was more surprising from a high spending government was the biggest fall came in public sector housing. A Labour Housing Minister has some explaining to do.
Vehicle manufacture figures have been distorted by the impact of the cyber attack on JLR, with the national figures sharply down in September and recovering somewhat in November. It all helps to disguise the growing impact of the policy of demanding more battery cars and fewer petrol and diesel cars be sold, which will mean a much smaller UK industry going forward if the government persists with its damaging tax/subsidy policy.
Mining and quarrying are well down with the bans on oil and gas having a bigger impact as time passes. The UK is reluctant to get things out of the ground here, preferring to pay the extra price of imports and the loss of tax revenue and jobs that goes with that.
What is perplexing is why the government thinks that it will grow faster when
- It pursues ever higher energy prices
- It bans our oil, gas and coal extraction
- It raises taxes on jobs
- It taxes successful and wealthy people out of the country
- It(along with the Labour Mayor) will not allow much new housing development in London which is where demand for extra housing is strongest and prices are highest
- It tries to stop people buying things they want and tries to get them to buy things they do not want in the name of net zero
- It offers subsidies to farmers to not grow food, and taxes those who dare to grow food
- It wants to adopt more EU rules that will impede innovation and investment at home and cheaper imports from non EU sources
On current policies the government will not be happy until the UK is growing as slowly as Germany, adopting all the same rules and taxes that hold it back.
January 16, 2026
The definition of GDP includes government spending and consumption. Labour is increasing government spending, welfare payments and population increases with spending on accommodation and subsidies. Even imported stuff for government counts such as police cars and NHS equipment. Inflated food prices cause GDP to rise through consumption. Ministers taking trips by plane counts as services. Insurance costs increasing because of labour and materials doubling counts as services and GDP. Even the BBC using their very highly paid staff to produce doctored programmes resulting in libel actions is on the bill.
We can therefore have industries and private entertainment services closing down and loss of jobs while public employment is increasing while GDP bumps along at rates a fraction of other countries which ignore net zero.
January 16, 2026
GDP per capita has been flattening as population increase has outstripped GDP. https://www.statista.com/statistics/970672/gdp-per-capita-in-the-uk/
January 16, 2026
Indeed. The output of government can often be of hige negative value or no value this especially as the money comes for taxes on the largely productive private sector hobbling them. Yet it still counts towards their GDP figure. I say largely productive private sector but much of the private sector that is actually growing is in compliance with ever more largely idiotic red tape and is thus not really producing anything of real value. This in law, employment compliance, landlord compliance, OTT health and safety, net zero lunacy, getting round moronic planning obstacles, tax planning, EV car lunacy…
January 16, 2026
Yesterday the clown Milibrain announced a father £1.8 billion for the installation of more useless windmills offshore. Power at a guaranteed price of £91 per mwh. Onshore wind and solar has yet to be announced. This is more money being removed from the economy to subsidise mainly foreign owned companies.
Motor manufacturing is down to levels not seen since the 50s, another major employer about to vanish along with oil, gas and steel.
Major builders are laying staff off because there are no buyers and in London house prices are being discounted at up to 50%
No one sane believes the economy is growing only the immigration and benefits Bill
January 16, 2026
As I type we are currently Importing 22% of our electricity at £92 per mwh which we could generate for £55 per mwh. Again this is removing more money from the economy to subsidise foreign consumers, particularly the French. Madness.
January 16, 2026
A guaranteed price but not a guaranteed delivery when energy is actually required unless God has signed the contract too! So worth far less than on demand electricity such as gas, coal, oil, nuclear. So these power stations have to back up and run far less efficiently as a direct result. Total economic and engineering illiteracy Ed!
January 16, 2026
Good morning.
This pitiful figure is dwarfed even further by the growth rates coming from the USA. It shows that Liz Truss plan would have delivered prosperity has she been given a chance and not sabotaged in the way she was. Not that is to say she was blameless in her fall, but she was most certainly given a nudge.
We also have to take into consideration the lies of this government and in particular the Chancer of the Exchequer. The £20bn black hole that never was and the tax hikes that followed it, especially employers national insurance contributions have led us to where we are.
And finally, inflation. What ever pitiful gains there are will be wiped out by rampant inflation. Those extra costs on the Private Sector have to passed on.
The May elections this year may prove pivotal. Because if TTK goes, the Reeves goes too.