Finance minister Jeremy Hunt said on Friday that the British economy had been more resilient than many had expected, commenting on official data showing economic output rose 0.3% month-on-month in January.

“In the face of severe global challenges, the UK economy has proved more resilient than many expected, but there is a long way to go," Hunt said in a statement.

Hunt said he will set out the next stage of the government's plan to "halve inflation, reduce debt and grow the economy" during the spring budget next week. (Reporting by Farouq Suleiman; editing by William James)