Andy Burnham: The UK economy is growing. Our verdict: True.
Andy Burnham made the claim on 12 November 2026, as reported by the Evening Standard, on the day the Office for National Statistics published its GDP figures for July to September 2026.
Our verdict
True
The claim is accurate. The Office for National Statistics reported that UK GDP grew by 0.7% in the third quarter of 2026, the most recent quarter before Andy Burnham spoke.
What we found
We checked whether the UK economy was growing at the time Andy Burnham made the claim. The Office for National Statistics published its first quarterly estimate on 12 November 2026, showing GDP grew by 0.7% in July to September 2026 compared with the previous quarter. The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee also assessed in early November 2026 that growth had increased. The Institute for Fiscal Studies described the recent growth as genuine expansion. Together these official and independent sources support the claim.
The evidence
5 of 6 sources support the claim; none contradict it.
- Background
The Evening Standard reported that Andy Burnham said the UK economy is growing on 12 November 2026, the day the GDP figures were released. [1]
- Supports the claim
The Office for National Statistics' first quarterly estimate showed UK GDP grew by 0.7% in July to September 2026 compared with the previous quarter. [2]
- Supports the claim
The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee assessed in November 2026 that UK economic activity had shown resilience and that growth had increased. [3]
- Supports the claim
The Office for National Statistics' monthly estimate showed UK real GDP grew by 0.7% in the three months to September 2026 compared with the three months to June 2026. [4]
- Supports the claim
An earlier Office for National Statistics monthly estimate showed UK GDP grew by 0.7% in the three months to August 2026 compared with the three months to May 2026. [5]
- Supports the claim
The Institute for Fiscal Studies' Green Budget 2026 reported UK annual GDP growth of 1.4% for 2026 and described recent growth as genuine expansion. [6]
What we could not confirm
- GDP figures are early estimates and may be revised.
- We did not assess whether the economy will keep growing in future.
- We relied on a news report for Andy Burnham's exact words rather than a full transcript.
- We looked only at quarterly GDP growth, not other measures such as annual growth, productivity or living standards.
How we checked
We looked at the Office for National Statistics' quarterly and monthly GDP estimates, the Bank of England's November 2026 policy summary, the Institute for Fiscal Studies' Green Budget 2026, and a news report quoting Andy Burnham. We reviewed 7 relevant sources.
Sources
- [1]www.standard.co.uk · GDP up 0.7%: Britain defies hit from Trump Iran war to grow economy, says Burnham · November 12, 2026
- [2]ons.gov.uk · GDP first quarterly estimate, UK - Office for National Statistics · November 12, 2026
- [3]bankofengland.co.uk · Bank rate increased to 4% - November 2026 Monetary Policy Summary and Minutes · November 4, 2026
- [4]ons.gov.uk · GDP monthly estimate, UK - Office for National Statistics · November 12, 2026
- [5]Office for National Statistics · GDP monthly estimate, UK: August 2026 · October 15, 2026
- [6]Institute for Fiscal Studies · The IFS Green Budget 2026 · October 1, 2026
Have evidence we missed?
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