UK economy grew more quickly than thought in late 2021

Shoppers at Oxford Street in central London. — AFP

LONDON: Britain's economy grew more quickly than previously thought in the last three months of 2021 when the country was hit by the Omicron wave of COVID-19 cases, driven by higher health spending, official data showed on Thursday.

Gross domestic product in the world's fifth-biggest economy increased by 1.3% in the fourth quarter from the previous three-month period, the Office for National Statistics said, stronger than a preliminary estimate of growth of 1.0%.