Dean Turner, economist at UBS Wealth, said: “Today’s services PMI is slightly disappointing ahead of Thursday’s election, but the surveys still point to the economy growing in the second quarter.
“However, it is interesting to note that optimism about the year ahead is running below its long-run average.”
He added the election would be key for economic confidence.
“If the prime minister fails to meaningfully improve her majority in the Commons on Thursday, sentiment could dip further in the months ahead as we’re likely to see a rise in concerns about the possibility of the UK not agreeing a transitional deal with the EU to smooth the path of Brexit,” Turner said.
