UK economic growth 'slower than reported'

Economic growth in the UK over the past two years has turned out to be weaker than was previously thought.

The Office of National Statistics (ONS) said revisions to its data meant gross domestic product (GDP) rose by 2.2 per cent  in 2003 - and not by the forecast-busting 2.3 per cent  reported last month.

For 2002 the figure has been downgraded to 1.6 per cent  from 1.7 per cent  as output from the construction industry proved to be less strong.

The revision for last year was blamed on lower estimates of household expenditure, particularly for services.

The figure of 2.2 per cent  still represents a strong performance for the UK economy when compared with other G7 nations.