Hammond admits UK consumers hurt by pound's fall as GDP grows by 0.3%

Chancellor acknowledges ‘pain’ of inflation caused by post-referendum depreciation of sterling, after figures reveal scale of slowdownPhilip Hammond has admitted that consumers are suffering from the pound’s sharp post-referendum fall, after what government statisticians have called a “notable slowdown” in growth in the first half of the year.The economy grew by just 0.3% in the second quarter of 2017 following 0.2% expansion in the first three months of the year, O