British economy grows by 0.9 percent in second quarter

LONDON (AFP) - The British economy grew by 0.9 percent in the second quarter of 2004 from the first quarter of the year, unchanged from a previous estimate, official figures showed.
But the annual rate of growth in gross domestic product was adjusted down to 3.6 percent from 3.7 percent previously, though this was still the fastest pace since the third quarter of 2000, according to the National Statistics office.
A breakdown of the figures showed that strong consumption and government spending, as well as a pick-up in business investment, buoyed the economy in the second quarter, along with the recovery in industrial production.