Brexit anxiety dampens UK growth
Lending to consumers has fallen and house prices have dropped 0.7%
London — Britain’s economic growth slowed to a crawl at the end of 2018 and the housing market is stalling, according to data published on Friday, less than three months before Brexit. A closely watched business survey indicated firms were growing more anxious, while figures from the Bank of England and mortgage lender Nationwide painted a picture of households reining in spending. Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29 but what will actually happen on that day remains far from clear. The future of Prime Minister Theresa May’s deal struck with the EU hangs in the balance as a parliamentary vote looms, raising the possibility of Britain leaving the EU without a deal to smooth the economic shock. Calls for a second referendum, which May has rejected, are growing. Friday’s figures indicate that the disarray is starting to affect the economy. Lending to consumers grew at its slowest pace in nearly four years in November and the number of mortgage approvals fell by far more than expe...
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