The UK’s service sector stagnated last month while car production slumped 6.7 per cent in the latest signs that Brexit uncertainty is damaging the economy.
Output by services firms, which make up four fifths of the UK economy, flatlined in September according to a closely watched poll of purchasing managers.
When combined with disappointing construction and manufacturing data this week, the figures suggest that the UK private sector has contracted in four of the past five months, its worst spell since the financial crisis in 2009, IHS Markit said.
IHS Markit’s Purchasing Managers Index, which is designed to give an early indicator of the economy’s future health, came in at 50 for October which suggests zero growth – although it was up marginally from 49.5 the month before.
Duncan Brock, group director at the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, said: “In terms of staff hiring, this is one of the worst service sector performances since 2011, as job creation became job cutting for the fifth time this year.
1/50 4 November 2019
Pelicans in St James’s Park in central London
AFP via Getty
2/50 3 November 2019
Dancers perform a mass Ghoomar dance during Diwali celebrations in Trafalgar Square, London
Reuters
3/50 2 November 2019
Campaigners listen as SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon addresses a rally calling for Scottish independence in Glasgow
AFP via Getty
4/50 1 November 2019
Police and recovery workers remove a damaged bus from the scene of a crash in Sevenoaks Road, south-east London. A man has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving after a person died and 15 others were injured
PA
5/50 31 October 2019
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn gestures as launches the party’s election campaign in south London. Britain will go to the polls on December 12
AFP via Getty
6/50 30 October 2019
SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon joins Alyn Smith, the SNP’s candidate for Stirling, at the Made in Stirling Store and Creative Hub, during the general election campaign trail
PA
7/50 29 October 2019
A 1264 locomotive travels through an autumn scene along the North York Moors National Park
PA
8/50 28 October 2019
Paul Hayes of Lower Lydbrook ferries children to dry land after the River Wye burst its banks flooding the Gloucestershire village
PA
9/50 27 October 2019
Cosplayers during the third day of London’s Comic Con
PA
10/50 26 October 2019
England fans celebrate after their side beat New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup semi-final match in Japan. Eddie Jones’s side won 19-7
PA
11/50 25 October 2019
Meerkats at Blair Drummond Safari Park, Stirling, investigate a carved pumpkin as the park celebrates national pumpkin day on Saturday October 26.
PA
12/50 24 October 2019
A giant inflatable monster, created by artists Filthy Luker and Pedro Estrellas, is unveiled in Manchester ahead of the city’s annual halloween celebrations
PA
13/50 23 October 2019
Thirty-nine bodies have been found in a lorry container in Essex, police have said.
The discovery of 38 adults and one teenager was made at an industrial estate in Thurrock.
Police said they believed the lorry had come from Bulgaria and entered the UK at Holyhead, in Wales, on Saturday.
Essex Police said it had launched a murder investigation after its officers were called to Waterglade Industrial Park, in Grays, in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
A 25-year-old-man from Northern Ireland has been arrested on suspicion of murder
PA
14/50 22 October 2019
Ships out at sea before the sun rises off the coast of Whitley Bay, Northumberland
PA
15/50 21 October 2019
Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator’s Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife. The messy display is the culmination of a weekend of festivities where first years say thank you to their more senior student “parents” for mentoring them
PA
16/50 20 October 2019
Wales players celebrate after beating France in their Rugby World Cup quarter-final in Japan. Warren Gatland’s side had to battle after France’s fast start but capitalised on their rivals’ ill discipline to squeeze into the semi-finals, 20-19
Reuters
17/50 19 October 2019
People gather in London to join the Final Say march for a people’s vote
Angela Christofilou/The Independent
18/50 18 October 2019
Protesters on Whitehall in London during an Extinction Rebellion climate change protest
PA
19/50 17 October 2019
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson shake hands during a news conference after agreeing on a Brexit deal, in Brussels
Reuters
20/50 16 October 2019
A man walks his dog through the fallen leaves in Clarkes Gardens, Allerton in Liverpool
PA
21/50 15 October 2019
Police officers carry away an activist as Extinction Rebellion protesters block a road with a caravan in central London
Reuters
22/50 14 October 2019
Queen Elizabeth II sits with Prince Charles on the Sovereign’s throne ahead of delivering the Queen’s Speech at the State Opening of Parliament
AFP
23/50 13 October 2019
Great Britain’s Joe Fraser competes on Parallel Bars during the World Gymnastics Championships in Stuttgart, Germany. He claimed GB’s second gold with his victory. The 20-year-old from Birmingham nailed his routine to score 15.0 then watched as a series of rivals failed to live up to his total
Getty
24/50 12 October 2019
St Helens players celebrate with the trophy after they won the Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford in Manchester. They beat Salford Red Devils 23-6
PA
25/50 11 October 2019
Richard Ratcliffe, husband of British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe jailed in Tehran since 2016, holds his daughter Gabriella during a news conference in London. Their five-year-old daughter has arrived back in Britain, after making the “bittersweet” decision to bring her home
AFP/Getty
26/50 10 October 2019
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at Thornton Manor. Their meeting focused on further Brexit proposals
EPA/Noel Mullen
27/50 9 October 2019
Wales survived an almighty scare against Fiji to secure quarter-final spot at the rugby world cup. Warren Gatland’s side recovered from a 10-0 deficit thanks to a hat-trick from Josh Adams
AFP/Getty
28/50 8 October 2019
Protesters dubbed the Red Rebels at Millbank at the junction with Great College Street, during an Extinction Rebellion protest in Westminster
PA
29/50 7 October 2019
Final preparations are made in front of a reproduction of Michelangelo’s ‘The Last Judgement’, ahead of the opening of for the ‘Michelangelo: A Different View’ exhibition at Hull Minister
PA
30/50 6 October 2019
A car drives through a flooded street in Whitley Bay in Northumberland
PA
31/50 5 October 2019
Thousands took to the streets of Edinburgh today to march in support of a second Scottish independence referendum
EPA
32/50 4 October 2019
A 12ft sculpture of a gorilla, entitled ‘Gorilla Apocalypse’, created by Luke Kite entirely from scrap car bumpers and panels discarded in the last decade is on display at the British Ironwork Centre in Oswestry, Shropshire
PA
33/50 3 October 2019
Police stands in front of the Treasury building during an Extinction Rebellion protest in London
Reuters
34/50 2 October 2019
Ex-Thomas Cook employees demonstrate in London after delivering a petition calling for a full inquiry into Thomas Cook’s collapse and for the company’s directors to pay back their bonuses
AFP/Getty
35/50 1 October 2019
A road in Alum Rock, Birmingham is flooded after persistent heavy rain
PA
36/50 30 September 2019
Two tourists pose for pictures in front of Union and EU flags outside the Houses of Parliament in London
PA
37/50 29 September 2019
A sheep on London Bridge as Freemen of the City of London took up their historic entitlement to drive sheep over the bridge, which was once London’s only river crossing
PA
38/50 28 September 2019
An Aldabra giant tortoise is fed watermelon as a treat at the Malvern Autumn Show, at the Three Counties Showground near Malvern in Worcestershire
PA
39/50 27 September 2019
Gallery assistants pose with an artwork entitled ‘Devolved Parliament’ by British artist Banksy, during a press view in London ahead of Sotheby’s contemporary art sale, as part of the Frieze Art Fair
AFP/Getty
40/50 26 September 2019
England’s Jonathan Joseph is tackled by United State’s Marcel Brache during their group match at the Rugby World Cup in Japan. England scored seven tries on their way to winning 45-7
Reuters
41/50 25 September 2019
Tributes for former Rangers player Fernando Ricksen at Ibrox Stadium. Today, the funeral procession will pass Ibrox Stadium before making the journey to Wellington Church
PA
42/50 24 September 2019
A person dressed as a caricature of Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a prison uniform stands outside the Supreme Court after it ruled that his decision to suspend Parliament was illegal
AFP/Getty
43/50 23 September 2019
Thomas Cook aircraft are parked up at Manchester Airport on the day they collapsed after rescue talks failed. A total of 22,000 jobs – including 9,000 in UK – are to be lost following administration. More than 150,000 British holidaymakers need to be brought home, with the government and CAA hiring dozens of charter planes to fly customers home free of charge
Getty
44/50 22 September 2019
Fire performer Penella Bee performs before people take part in the North East Skinny Dip at Druridge Bay in Nothumberland, an annual event that marks the Autumn Equinox and raises money for MIND – the Mental Health Charity
PA
45/50 21 September 2019
Protesters gather for a march and rally organised by “The People’s Vote” in Brighton, to call for politicians to give the public a final say referendum on Brexit
AFP/Getty
46/50 20 September 2019
Protesters in London joined millions across world to demand urgent action to save planet in the largest environmental protest in history
Angela Christofilou/The Independent
47/50 19 September 2019
Rapper Dave poses with the Mercury Prize: Albums of the Year Award at Apollo
Getty
48/50 18 September 2019
A surfer in action during sunrise at Tynemouth on the north east coast
PA
49/50 17 September 2019
Protesters dressed as the Incredible Hulk and Robocop outside the Supreme Court in London where judges are due to consider legal challenges to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s decision to suspend Parliament. The Supreme Court will hear appeals over three days from two separate challenges to the prorogation of Parliament brought in England and Scotland
PA
50/50 16 September 2019
Farmer Tom Hoggard harvests pumpkins at Howe Bridge Farm in Yorkshire, ahead of Halloween
PA
1/50 4 November 2019
Pelicans in St James’s Park in central London
AFP via Getty
2/50 3 November 2019
Dancers perform a mass Ghoomar dance during Diwali celebrations in Trafalgar Square, London
Reuters
3/50 2 November 2019
Campaigners listen as SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon addresses a rally calling for Scottish independence in Glasgow
AFP via Getty
4/50 1 November 2019
Police and recovery workers remove a damaged bus from the scene of a crash in Sevenoaks Road, south-east London. A man has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving after a person died and 15 others were injured
PA
5/50 31 October 2019
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn gestures as launches the party’s election campaign in south London. Britain will go to the polls on December 12
AFP via Getty
6/50 30 October 2019
SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon joins Alyn Smith, the SNP’s candidate for Stirling, at the Made in Stirling Store and Creative Hub, during the general election campaign trail
PA
7/50 29 October 2019
A 1264 locomotive travels through an autumn scene along the North York Moors National Park
PA
8/50 28 October 2019
Paul Hayes of Lower Lydbrook ferries children to dry land after the River Wye burst its banks flooding the Gloucestershire village
PA
9/50 27 October 2019
Cosplayers during the third day of London’s Comic Con
PA
10/50 26 October 2019
England fans celebrate after their side beat New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup semi-final match in Japan. Eddie Jones’s side won 19-7
PA
11/50 25 October 2019
Meerkats at Blair Drummond Safari Park, Stirling, investigate a carved pumpkin as the park celebrates national pumpkin day on Saturday October 26.
PA
12/50 24 October 2019
A giant inflatable monster, created by artists Filthy Luker and Pedro Estrellas, is unveiled in Manchester ahead of the city’s annual halloween celebrations
PA
13/50 23 October 2019
Thirty-nine bodies have been found in a lorry container in Essex, police have said.
The discovery of 38 adults and one teenager was made at an industrial estate in Thurrock.
Police said they believed the lorry had come from Bulgaria and entered the UK at Holyhead, in Wales, on Saturday.
Essex Police said it had launched a murder investigation after its officers were called to Waterglade Industrial Park, in Grays, in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
A 25-year-old-man from Northern Ireland has been arrested on suspicion of murder
PA
14/50 22 October 2019
Ships out at sea before the sun rises off the coast of Whitley Bay, Northumberland
PA
15/50 21 October 2019
Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator’s Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife. The messy display is the culmination of a weekend of festivities where first years say thank you to their more senior student “parents” for mentoring them
PA
16/50 20 October 2019
Wales players celebrate after beating France in their Rugby World Cup quarter-final in Japan. Warren Gatland’s side had to battle after France’s fast start but capitalised on their rivals’ ill discipline to squeeze into the semi-finals, 20-19
Reuters
17/50 19 October 2019
People gather in London to join the Final Say march for a people’s vote
Angela Christofilou/The Independent
18/50 18 October 2019
Protesters on Whitehall in London during an Extinction Rebellion climate change protest
PA
19/50 17 October 2019
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson shake hands during a news conference after agreeing on a Brexit deal, in Brussels
Reuters
20/50 16 October 2019
A man walks his dog through the fallen leaves in Clarkes Gardens, Allerton in Liverpool
PA
21/50 15 October 2019
Police officers carry away an activist as Extinction Rebellion protesters block a road with a caravan in central London
Reuters
22/50 14 October 2019
Queen Elizabeth II sits with Prince Charles on the Sovereign’s throne ahead of delivering the Queen’s Speech at the State Opening of Parliament
AFP
23/50 13 October 2019
Great Britain’s Joe Fraser competes on Parallel Bars during the World Gymnastics Championships in Stuttgart, Germany. He claimed GB’s second gold with his victory. The 20-year-old from Birmingham nailed his routine to score 15.0 then watched as a series of rivals failed to live up to his total
Getty
24/50 12 October 2019
St Helens players celebrate with the trophy after they won the Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford in Manchester. They beat Salford Red Devils 23-6
PA
25/50 11 October 2019
Richard Ratcliffe, husband of British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe jailed in Tehran since 2016, holds his daughter Gabriella during a news conference in London. Their five-year-old daughter has arrived back in Britain, after making the “bittersweet” decision to bring her home
AFP/Getty
26/50 10 October 2019
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at Thornton Manor. Their meeting focused on further Brexit proposals
EPA/Noel Mullen
27/50 9 October 2019
Wales survived an almighty scare against Fiji to secure quarter-final spot at the rugby world cup. Warren Gatland’s side recovered from a 10-0 deficit thanks to a hat-trick from Josh Adams
AFP/Getty
28/50 8 October 2019
Protesters dubbed the Red Rebels at Millbank at the junction with Great College Street, during an Extinction Rebellion protest in Westminster
PA
29/50 7 October 2019
Final preparations are made in front of a reproduction of Michelangelo’s ‘The Last Judgement’, ahead of the opening of for the ‘Michelangelo: A Different View’ exhibition at Hull Minister
PA
30/50 6 October 2019
A car drives through a flooded street in Whitley Bay in Northumberland
PA
31/50 5 October 2019
Thousands took to the streets of Edinburgh today to march in support of a second Scottish independence referendum
EPA
32/50 4 October 2019
A 12ft sculpture of a gorilla, entitled ‘Gorilla Apocalypse’, created by Luke Kite entirely from scrap car bumpers and panels discarded in the last decade is on display at the British Ironwork Centre in Oswestry, Shropshire
PA
33/50 3 October 2019
Police stands in front of the Treasury building during an Extinction Rebellion protest in London
Reuters
34/50 2 October 2019
Ex-Thomas Cook employees demonstrate in London after delivering a petition calling for a full inquiry into Thomas Cook’s collapse and for the company’s directors to pay back their bonuses
AFP/Getty
35/50 1 October 2019
A road in Alum Rock, Birmingham is flooded after persistent heavy rain
PA
36/50 30 September 2019
Two tourists pose for pictures in front of Union and EU flags outside the Houses of Parliament in London
PA
37/50 29 September 2019
A sheep on London Bridge as Freemen of the City of London took up their historic entitlement to drive sheep over the bridge, which was once London’s only river crossing
PA
38/50 28 September 2019
An Aldabra giant tortoise is fed watermelon as a treat at the Malvern Autumn Show, at the Three Counties Showground near Malvern in Worcestershire
PA
39/50 27 September 2019
Gallery assistants pose with an artwork entitled ‘Devolved Parliament’ by British artist Banksy, during a press view in London ahead of Sotheby’s contemporary art sale, as part of the Frieze Art Fair
AFP/Getty
40/50 26 September 2019
England’s Jonathan Joseph is tackled by United State’s Marcel Brache during their group match at the Rugby World Cup in Japan. England scored seven tries on their way to winning 45-7
Reuters
41/50 25 September 2019
Tributes for former Rangers player Fernando Ricksen at Ibrox Stadium. Today, the funeral procession will pass Ibrox Stadium before making the journey to Wellington Church
PA
42/50 24 September 2019
A person dressed as a caricature of Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a prison uniform stands outside the Supreme Court after it ruled that his decision to suspend Parliament was illegal
AFP/Getty
43/50 23 September 2019
Thomas Cook aircraft are parked up at Manchester Airport on the day they collapsed after rescue talks failed. A total of 22,000 jobs – including 9,000 in UK – are to be lost following administration. More than 150,000 British holidaymakers need to be brought home, with the government and CAA hiring dozens of charter planes to fly customers home free of charge
Getty
44/50 22 September 2019
Fire performer Penella Bee performs before people take part in the North East Skinny Dip at Druridge Bay in Nothumberland, an annual event that marks the Autumn Equinox and raises money for MIND – the Mental Health Charity
PA
45/50 21 September 2019
Protesters gather for a march and rally organised by “The People’s Vote” in Brighton, to call for politicians to give the public a final say referendum on Brexit
AFP/Getty
46/50 20 September 2019
Protesters in London joined millions across world to demand urgent action to save planet in the largest environmental protest in history
Angela Christofilou/The Independent
47/50 19 September 2019
Rapper Dave poses with the Mercury Prize: Albums of the Year Award at Apollo
Getty
48/50 18 September 2019
A surfer in action during sunrise at Tynemouth on the north east coast
PA
49/50 17 September 2019
Protesters dressed as the Incredible Hulk and Robocop outside the Supreme Court in London where judges are due to consider legal challenges to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s decision to suspend Parliament. The Supreme Court will hear appeals over three days from two separate challenges to the prorogation of Parliament brought in England and Scotland
PA
50/50 16 September 2019
Farmer Tom Hoggard harvests pumpkins at Howe Bridge Farm in Yorkshire, ahead of Halloween
PA
“Even the impending October [Brexit] deadline was not enough to stem the flow of hopelessness amongst service providers, as optimism remained at low levels.”
Some economists have warned that surveys of purchasing managers have in recent months become less reliable as a predictor of future growth. Actual output has come in above the level that polls have suggested.
Nonetheless, the figures demonstrate the level of confidence among British businesses and show Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal has received only a “luke-warm” reception from British firms, said Samuel Tombs, chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics.
Services account for four fifths of UK output and had, until recently, remained relatively resilient in while construction and manufacturing contracted sharply.
Among the worst-hit sectors has been the car industry which has seen investment collapse since the 2016 EU referendum. New data released on Tuesday showed a further 6.7 per cent slump in the number of vehicles rolling off production lines in October.
Some 10,348 fewer cars were registered in October than during the same month in 2018, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
The figure reflects a tough environment for businesses and consumers as economic and political uncertainty continue to hit confidence, the trade association said.
The decline was driven by a 13.2 per cent drop in demand from private consumers. Sales of diesel models slumped 28.3 per cent, while petrol cars fell by 3.2 per cent.
