LONDON—Britain’s economy grew strongly in November to finally surpass its size just before the country went into its first COVID-19 lockdown, official data showed on Friday. The world’s fifth-biggest economy expanded by a much faster than expected 0.9 percent in November—before the latest wave of COVID-19 infections and restrictions for many firms—leaving it 0.7 percent bigger than it was in February 2020, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast monthly gross domestic product growth of 0.4 percent for November. “It’s amazing to see the size of the economy back to pre-pandemic levels in November—a testament to the grit and determination of the British people,” finance minister Rishi Sunak said. Other economies have already recovered their pre-COVID size, chief among them the United States. Britain’s economy shrank by more than 9 percent in 2020, one of the biggest pandemic slumps among the world’s rich nations. …