Sector shows fastest growth in 15 months

THE UK's manufacturing sector grew at the fastest pace in 15 months in December, as the impact of uncertainty about the autumn Budget and the Jaguar Land Rover cyber attack began to fade, a new survey shows.

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The S&P Global UK manufacturing PMI survey, watched closely by economists, showed a reading of 50.6 in December, up from 50.2 in November.

Any reading above 50 indicates that activity is growing while any score below means it is contracting.

Manufacturing output increased for a third month in a row and the level of new orders rose for the first time since September 2024, according to the survey.