AI Boom Lifts UK Growth

Official UK data showed a 0.4% GDP rise in July, beating forecasts, and journalists attribute much of the surprise to AI‑related investment and activity. The timing matters politically: the unexpected increase gives Prime Minister Andy Burnham a stronger fiscal position ahead of a difficult first Budget. — If AI investment can swing month‑to‑month growth, it reshapes fiscal politics, near‑term macro forecasts, and arguments over industrial policy and data‑center/compute incentives.