LONDON,(Reuters) - Britain's economy probably picked up a bit of speed and grew by 0.4 percent in the three months to April, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research said on Tuesday.
"We expect the slight softening of GDP growth experienced in the first quarter of this year to be temporary and forecast the UK economy will expand by 2.5 percent for the year as a whole," it said in a statement.
The annual growth forecast was in line with a forecast made by NIESR earlier this month.
British gross domestic product grew by an unexpectedly slow 0.3 percent in the January-March period, according to preliminary figures released last month.
Data published earlier on Tuesday showed industrial output growth in March was its strongest in six months, easing concerns that the first-quarter slowdown could be more protracted.