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From the EU referendum to Article 50: the charts that show how the UK's economy has performed

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The supposedly negative effect that Brexit would have on the UK's economy was the central message of the Remain campaign in the build-up to last June's historic referendum.

Led by George Osborne and David Cameron, the Government delivered a series of warnings spelling out just how harmful they thought leaving the EU would be to the British people - both individually and collectively.

Referendum night vote tracker

Now, 279 days since the UK voted to leave the European Union, Theresa May is set to formally announce the UK's intention to leave by triggering Article 50.

How has the country performed economically during these 279 days? Has the prospect of Brexit harmed the UK's finances, or has it just been a distraction?

The value of the pound plummeted after the referendum

In the aftermath of June 23 - the day of the referendum - news sites and social media were awash with images of a dramatic fall in the value of the pound.

As the result became clear at around 4am on the morning of June 24, the pound dropped from €1.31 to €1.23 before falling to €1.16 on July 6.

Strength of the pound vs Euro and dollar

The following weeks saw the pound fall further against the Euro, reaching a low of €1.10 before recovering to €1.15 at the start of this week.

This was undoubtedly a dramatic fall. However, €1.15 is by no means an historic low - it was at similar levels in early 2013 - and the pound had already been falling versus the Euro in the months prior to the referendum. In November 2015 it stood at €1.43.

Against the dollar, the pound's fall has been more pronounced due to a strong US economy. As of this week a pound will fetch around $1.25, down from $1.40 before the referendum and among its lowest values for more than a decade.

The FTSE has hit record highs

The FTSE 100 has been hitting record highs in recent weeks and has shown a consistent rise since the referendum vote last June.

The record of 7,429.81 achieved at the start of last week constitutes a 20pc rise compared to the pre-Brexit level; the index stood at 6,185.61 at the beginning of June 2016.

Similarly, the FTSE 250 has recovered after an initial post-Brexit drop in value and now stands at nearly 19,000, having been slightly above 17,000 at the beginning of June 2016.

The FTSE 100 has performed well since last June

Despite strong performances from the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250, the FTSE local index hasn't performed so well since Brexit.

This index, which only includes businesses that conduct more than 70pc of their sales in the UK, is still slightly lower than its pre-Brexit levels.

Investors haven't been put off

Despite fears that Brexit uncertainty would lead to companies being more reticent when looking to the UK as an investment opportunity, there have been a series of major investments since last June.

Toyota has announced plans to invest £240m in its car plant in Derbyshire. The move, which will be backed by £21.3m of Government funding, shows the UK "remains one of the best places in the world to do business", according to business secretary Greg Clark.

Toyota's investment at Burnaston follows a string of commitments in recent months, putting to bed fears that the country may struggle to attract new business post-Brexit.

Chart: The UK has continued to attract big investments post-Brexit

GDP growth has remained steady

The UK economy has continued to grow in the months following the referendum, with Philip Hammond's Spring Budget predicting an increase in growth this year.

The economy grew by 0.7pc in the fourth quarter of 2016. This is up from 0.6pc in the third quarter of 2016 and the same figure as was recorded by the ONS in the fourth quarter of 2015.

It will grow by a further 2pc in 2017, according to the Chancellor, before slowing in 2018.

GDP growth has been consistent post-Brexit

Inflation hit a three-year high in February

The Office for National Statistics recorded a 2.3pc increase in its Consumer Price Index in the year to February 2017. This is the biggest growth in the index since September 2013 and continues the upward curve in inflation growth that started in late 2015.

While this increase heralded an increase in the value of the pound last week, earnings growth forecasts in the Spring Budget showed that inflation will outstrip earnings for around six months in 2017.

CPI rises to 2.3pc in February 2017

House prices continue to grow

House price growth has slowed since the EU referendum last June - but the extent to which this is due to Brexit uncertainty is debatable.

Prices grew by 9.4pc in the year to June 2016 but this fell to 5.3pc in the year to November 2016 before recovering to 6.2pc at the latest count.

While Brexit may have contributed to this fall, the introduction of the Stamp Duty surcharge on second homes will also have played a big role.

House price growth since the EU referendum

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