U.K. Factories Post Best Year Since 2014 as Exports Boom

Manufacturing in longest run of gains since the 1980s
Trade deficit narrows in 2017 as exports surge 11 percent

An apprentice works on the engine of an Enviro 200 bus at the Alexander Dennis Ltd. factory in Guildford, U.K., on Monday, Sept. 11, 2017. Manufacturing in the U.K. rose in July for the first time this year, boosted by a strong rebound in car production. Vehicle output, which had fallen sharply in recent months, surged almost 14 percent, the most since March 2009, helped by new models rolling off production lines.Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg

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By Andrew Atkinson

February 9, 2018 at 9:30 AM UTC

Updated on

February 9, 2018 at 9:39 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

U.K. factory production extended its record run in December, capping the strongest year since 2014.

Manufacturing rose 0.3 percent from November, the Office for National Statistics said Friday. Overall industrial output slumped a larger-than-forecast 1.3 percent after the closure of a key North Sea pipeline led to a steep drop in oil output.