British companies look set to cut investment by the most in 10 years in 2019 because of Brexit, even if Prime Minister Theresa May gets a deal to ease the country out of the bloc, an employers group said on Monday.

British house prices are growing at their weakest pace since 2011 as the prospect of Brexit weighs increasingly on the housing market, according to a survey published on Thursday.

Britain has lowered its official forecast for economic growth in 2019, finance minister Philip Hammond said on Wednesday as he delivered a half-yearly budget update.

British finance minister Philip Hammond said he now had 26.6 billion pounds of fiscal "headroom" -- which is earmarked for possible increased spending or tax cuts -- up from a previous estimate of 15.4 billion pounds.

British finance minister Philip Hammond said on Wednesday he could free billions of pounds for extra public spending or tax cuts, as long as parliament resolves its Brexit impasse.

Changes in how student loans are accounted could make it harder for Britain to balance the budget by the mid-2020s, Britain's Office for Budget Responsibility said on Wednesday.

Britain's economy picked up in January after a weak December but the bigger picture remained one of growth stuck in low gear ahead of Brexit, official data showed.

British business investment will probably stay weak for the next few years because of uncertainty linked to Brexit, a Bank of England interest-rate setter said, calling into question suggestions of a Brexit deal "dividend" by the finance minister.

Beneath the headline figures showing a strong British labour market, the ebb and flow of jobs and businesses being created and destroyed is showing a pattern associated with the onset of recession, research suggested on Monday.

British employers held off from hiring permanent staff in February, adding to signs of growing nerves ahead of Brexit in the country's otherwise strong labour market, a survey of recruiters showed on Friday.