UK economy shows mixed signals in March, with strong service sector growth but manufacturing decline.

UK's private sector growth hit a six-month high in March, driven by a robust services sector, which rose to a seven-month high of 53.2. However, manufacturing PMI dropped to an 18-month low of 44.6 due to global trade concerns. The overall composite PMI reached 52.0, suggesting a marginal 0.1% growth for the first quarter. Despite the uptick, economists caution that this does not signal a full recovery, and Finance Minister Rachel Reeves is expected to announce a downgrade in economic growth forecasts.