The UK economy grew by 0.4% month-on-month in October but still remains 7.9% below pre-pandemic levels, official figures have shown.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the economy has now grown for six months running, recovering by 23.4% since the nadir of the recession during the spring lockdown.
But gross domestic product (GDP) has still not fully made up the mammoth 25.3% fall seen during the first and second quarters of 2020.
Experts also expect GDP to go back into reverse in the final quarter after the impact of the second national lockdown in England.
Jonathan Athow, deputy national statistician at the ONS, said: "The UK economy has now grown for six months running but still remains around 8% below its pre-pandemic peak.
"Public services output increased, while car manufacturing continued to recover and retail again grew strongly.
"However, the reintroduction of some restrictions saw services growth hit, with large falls in hospitality, meaning the economy overall grew only modestly."
Richard Pearson, Director at investment platform, EQi added:
"Recent UK GDP figures have been painting a depressing image following the excellent rebound we witnessed earlier this year, and this month is no exception. With the entirety of the UK under various levels of lockdown throughout October, it was inevitable our recovery would take a hit and growth would taper off from the summer’s jump.
"Despite the second lockdown in England being lifted, much of the UK remains in limbo with many businesses in the hospitality and arts sector unable to take part in what should be their busiest season.
"The announcement of the new vaccines provided some relief to the markets last month and hope for the future, but we have a long way to go until the economy begins to show the same relief. Coupled with the ongoing uncertainty around a post-Brexit trade agreement, it’s likely the UK economy won’t recover to its pre-pandemic state for years."
What is GDP and what does a jump in growth mean?
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Gross domestic product or GDP is how we measure the economy. It's based on the total value of goods and services produced - and a jump in it is good news, albeit weak. It essentially tells us whether the country is growing or contracting.
It is defined by the ONS as "the sum total of the final output an economy produces."
In Britain, GDP is calculated through a mixture of methods, which include adding up all the money spent, earnt and value-added each quarter.
When GDP goes up, the economy is growing - people are spending more and businesses may be expanding.
However if it falls too fast, the economy could enter recession, as was the case earlier this summer when the economy shrank two quarters in a row by a historic 25.3%. This often brings with it falling incomes, lower consumption and job cuts.
In the current case, the economy is rebalancing, however it's still far below pre-pandemic levels.
