Business confidence in the South East has risen during June - but pessimism around the wider economy remains.

According to the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds, confidence in the region rose one point to 37%.

This figure is determined by an increase in confidence in firms’ own business prospects - which rose five points to 51% - compared to optimism in the economy which slumped four points to 22%.

The findings in the monthly survey reveal the South East is far less confident than the national average of 51%.

Key targets for the next six months for firms in the region were investing in training (42%), introducing new technology, such as AI or automation (34%) and entering new markets (32%).

The Business Barometer, which surveys 1,200 businesses monthly and which has been running since 2002 and provides early signals about UK economic trends both regionally and nationwide.