The U.K. economy grew less than forecast in October as shortages of materials hit manufacturing and construction, and a further loss of momentum now seems inevitable with consumers facing fresh restrictions to contain the new strain of Covid-19. Gross domestic product grew 0.1%, compared with 0.6% in September, the Office for National Statistics said Friday. Growth of 0.4% was forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists. It left output 0.5% lower than in February 2020, before the pandemic struck. The outlook for the end of the fourth quarter appears to be even bleaker after Prime Minister Boris Johnson this week announced measures, including guidance that people should work from home, in an effort to halt the spread of the omicron variant. Bloomberg Economics estimates the curbs could cost the economy as much as 2 billion pounds ($2.6 billion) a month. The potential hit to consumer spending has left traders […]