The economy ground to a halt at the end of a highly volatile 2019, but Britain avoided its worst annual growth in a decade by a whisker. GDP was flat in the final quarter compared with the previous three months as companies and households tightened their belts in the face of political uncertainty, data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed. Economists predicted an immediate rebound after another Brexit delay and a snap election took their toll on consumer and business confidence in the final quarter. Household spending rose by just 0.1pc from the previous three months, the weakest increase in four years, while business investment slumped 1pc in the biggest fall since 2016.