BARROW'S MP described signs the UK's economy was improving as 'a very pleasant surprise'. Between July to September the economy grew by 15.5 per cent, although this began to slow down near the end of the three months. This came after the country was brought to a halt during the Covid lockdown which started in March. While signs of improvement are showing the economy is still 8.2 per cent smaller than it was before the pandemic. Barrow MP Simon Fell said: “These figures are a very pleasant surprise and a testament to the measures that the Chancellor has put in to protect the economy and enable growth against the backdrop of Covid. “But we shouldn’t get carried away - there will be ups and downs in the coming months.” Jo Lappin, chief executive of Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership and chair of the Business and Economic Response and Recovery Group, said: “Growth for the UK economy in the three months from July to September is obviously welcome news, following the record fall that we saw in the spring. “Cumbria, as with the UK, saw a large initial labour market hit from March to May. However, over the period to September the labour market situation in Cumbria has improved in comparison to the UK. “This is likely to be due to a combination of the particularly significant role of furlough through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and relatively strong recovery in the hospitality sector in Cumbria. Clearly, this is relative as things have not returned to where they were pre-Covid. “The experience to date suggests that Cumbria is faring slightly better than the UK on most economic indicators and we need to be optimistic that this will continue, going forward.”