Naga Munchetty brings BBC Breakfast to a halt to deliver 'breaking news'

BBC Breakfast host Naga Munchetty paused the show on Thursday (May 15) to deliver some breaking news.

She and co-presenter were in the middle of presenting the programme from the red sofa when they revealed that the UK economy had grown by 0.7 percent between January and March.

According to the Office for National Statistics, the expansion was largely driven by the services sector, although production also experienced significant growth.

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"Economic growth figures have just been released this morning, and show that the UK economy expanded by 0.7 per cent in the first quarter of this year," Naga explained as a breaking news banner flashed on the screen.

Charlie added: "The Office for National Statistics data comes at a turbulent time for the global economy. Analysts warn that any significant increase in economic activity could be short-lived."

In a pre-recorded segment, Deputy Economics Editor Dharshini David pointed out that retail sales had a "bumper first three months of the year", unlike the end of 2024. However, household bills continue to rise, along with higher taxes and concerns about tariffs, causing consumer confidence to plummet this spring.

In the studio, Naga caught up with business reporter Peter Ruddick who claimed that the figures were "relatively good" being slightly higher than anticipated, reports .

"We always talk about GDP, these economic figures as being an expectations game... 0.7 percent growth, to put that in context, is way above the previous quarter which was 0.1 percent," he elaborated.

"It'll absolutely be welcome news for the government, which of course has made growing the economy its number one mission."

Chancellor has remarked on the new data, saying they exhibit "the strength and potential of the UK economy".

She continued: "In the first three months of the year, the UK economy has grown faster than the US, Canada, France, Italy and Germany."

BBC Breakfast airs weekdays on BBC from 6am