CONSTRUCTION sector activity nosedived to a record low last month amid pre-Budget uncertainty, figures showed today.

The latest S&P Global UK construction purchasing managers’ index showed a reading of 39.4 in November, falling from 44.1 in October.

It was significantly worse than the reading of 44.4 economists had expected for the month and represented the fastest downturn in new orders since early 2009 excluding the pandemic.

The data means activity has contracted for the 11th month in a row, with housebuilding, commercial construction and civil engineering all seeing their weakest performance for more than five years.

New business dropped at a rapid pace, with just 17 per cent of companies signalling an increase in new orders, compared with 44 per cent who noted a fall.

Economics director at S&P global market intelligence Tim Moore said that commercial construction faced “severe headwinds during November, as business uncertainty in the run-up to the Budget pushed clients to defer investment decisions.”