The UK economy grew by 0.5% in the three months after the Brexit vote, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said.
The figure for July to September was down from the 0.7% growth recorded in the second quarter of 2016 – the months before Britain voted to leave the European Union.
But it is more robust than many economists had expected – and stronger than the 0.2% forecast last month by the Bank of England (BoE).
The higher-than-expected GDP figure was driven by the services sector – which accounts for more than 78% of the UK economy – which grew by 0.2% in the three months to September.
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