OECD raises UK growth forecast to 1.1 per cent on support and AI
The OECD has raised its UK growth forecast to 1.1 per cent, citing new government support measures in one report and AI-led investment in another as global risks persist.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The OECD has upgraded its forecast for UK economic growth to 1.1 per cent, up from 0.9 per cent. One report said the revision followed new support measures announced by the government and put the growth figure in 2026. Another framed the 1.1 per cent figure as growth by the end of this year. The OECD also predicted that growth would fall back slightly the following year.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Emma Reynolds said the UK economy was showing strong resilience.
The OECD's wider global outlook was also marginally better than expected this year. It said AI-led investment was helping the world economy hold up despite uncertainty caused by the US-Iran war. The forecast comes as huge sums are being spent on AI infrastructure, including data centres. The head of the IMF warned that AI brings opportunity but also significant risks for financial stability, with the scale of investment raising the chance that some spending will prove excessive and a bubble could pop.
China's role in AI was also in focus. China says it can make models that are 80-90% as good as US models but far more cheaply. Much may hinge on a meeting between President Xi and President Trump, the two main players in AI. The UK still has some influence because of its scientific strengths. For now, the speed at which superintelligent technology is deployed remains a choice.
On screen
Stills are sampled automatically at 60-second intervals. Where shown, the still is the nearest available frame from the relevant broadcast segment and is included to show what was on screen during that part of the broadcast. A still may not correspond to the exact second of a quoted phrase.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC One | Channel 4 |
|---|---|---|
| The OECD reported the UK economy was likely to grow faster than expected, forecasting 1.1% growth for 2026 and a slight slowdown the following year after new government support measures. | ||
| Chief Secretary to the Treasury Emma Reynolds said the UK economy was showing strong resilience. | · | |
| The head of the IMF warned that AI brings opportunities but also significant risks for financial stability. | · | |
| The OECD reported that AI-related investment is helping the global economy hold up slightly better than expected this year. | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Channel 4 gave the OECD upgrade a short closing segment. It focused on the government support measures behind the revised forecast, named Treasury minister Emma Reynolds, and did not cover the AI investment or global risk themes that led the other bulletin.
- “the UK economy is likely to grow faster than expected this year according to the international think tank, the OECD.”
- “It said the following new support measures announced by the government, the economy will grow by 1.1% in 2026, although it predicted that growth would fall back slightly the following year.”
- “The chief secretary to the treasury, Emma Reynolds, said the UK economy was showing strong resilience.”
BBC ONE West used the OECD upgrade to lead a wider discussion about AI-led investment and global economic resilience. It reported the UK's 1.1% growth figure but did not attribute the revision to government support measures, focusing instead on data centres, financial stability risks and US-China competition.
- “AI-led investment is helping the global economy hold up marginally better than expected this year, according to the leading forecaster, the OECD.”
- “That's despite uncertainty caused by the US-Iran war.”
- “The head of the IMF told me today that AI does mean opportunity, but it also means significant risks for financial stability, too.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.