Northern Ireland economy 'is slowest growing in UK'

Northern Ireland's economy was the slowest growing of any UK region in the first quarter of 2019, an initial estimate has suggested.

Figures from the Economic Statistics Centre of Excellence (ESCoE) put year-on-year growth at 0.7%.

That compares with an average UK growth rate of 1.5%.

ESCoE is a consortium of research institutions that work with the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

• NI economy weakens, bucking UK trend

• NI economy 'set for two-year dip'

It uses official data to produce estimates of regional economic growth in the UK.

London continued to outperform other UK regions in the first three months of this year, with estimated growth of 2.7%.

Stuart McIntyre, a senior lecturer in the economics department at Glasgow's University of Strathclyde and an ESCoE researcher, said continuing north-south growth disparities were evident in the latest estimates.

"Growth in the North East of England and Northern Ireland is still estimated to lag well behind the UK as a whole, with London, the South West and Scotland having the highest growth rates."

The full figures are:

• London 2.7%

• South West 2.1%

• Scotland 2.0%

• South East 2.0%

• East of England 1.9%

• East Midlands 1.6%

• UK 1.5%

• Yorkshire and The Humber 1.4%

• West Midlands 1.2%

• Wales 1.1%

• North West 1.0%

• North East 0.8%

• Northern Ireland 0.7%

The next set of official GDP data for the UK regions will be published by the ONS in December of this year and will cover 2018.