GDP flatlined in February 2023 after growth of 0.4% in January, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

The services sector fell by 0.1% in February, after growing by 0.7% in January, with the largest contributions to the decline coming from education, which fell 1.7% in a month where teacher strikes took place.

Public administration was the second largest contributor, falling by 1.1% in February. This sector was also hit by industrial action across the civil service.

This decline follows growth of 2.5% in January 2023. In the three months to February 2023, compared with the three months to November 2022, education fell by 1.9%.