UK economy avoids recession

London: Britain´s economy avoided recession in the third quarter, official data showed on Monday, but there were signs of slowing activity before the country´s general election next month and looming departure from the European Union.

Gross domestic product rebounded by 0.3 percent in the July-September period after a 0.2-percent contraction in the second quarter, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in an initial estimate.

The technical definition of a recession is two straight quarters of negative growth. Britain faces a general election on December 12, called by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to try and finally force through Brexit by a new deadline of January 31.

"GDP grew steadily in the third quarter, mainly thanks to a strong July," an ONS spokesman said in a statement Monday. "Services again led the way with construction also performing well. "Manufacturing failed to grow as falls in most industries were offset by car production bouncing back," he added.