UK economy under cloud of Brexit uncertainty: British finance minister

British finance minister PhilipHammondsaid on Wednesday that a "cloudof uncertainty" aboutBrexitwas hanging over the country'seconomy and needed to be cleared as quickly as possible.

"My general view of oureconomyis that it is fundamentally robust. We have some very strong things going for us, a strong outlook for the future,"Hammondtold lawmakers.

"But thecloudof uncertainty is a temporary damper and we need to remove it as soon as possible by making progress with the (Brexit) negotiation process," he said.

The International Monetary Fund kept its growth forecasts for Britain on hold on Tuesday even as it raised its projections for growth in many other economies around the world.