Faisal Islam
Britain ‘the sick man of Europe’
Economics Editor Faisal Islam analyses the latest inflation figures and says an interest rate rise is likely in four or five months
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Faisal Islam
No Plan B – but a slower Plan A
The Chancellor tells our Economics Editor that to pull out of the austerity plan would be to plunge Britain back into “the financial danger zone” – so no Plan B, but maybe a slower Plan A.
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FactCheck: Miliband cutting economic corners?
The claim “He is going too far and too fast with deficit reduction and that is what is inhibiting growth in this country” Ed Miliband, Labour leader, Prime Minister’s Questions, 26 January 2011
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FactCheck: GDP shock – was it the weather wot done it?
“They are clearly disappointing figures but the statisticians tell us that the weather had a huge effect – we had the coldest December for 100 years, businesses were closed, people couldn’t get to work… So we’re not going to be blown off course by the bad weather.”
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Faisal Islam
George Osborne runs the risk of a double-dip recession
Our Economics Editor writes that the GDP figures are much worse than expected – and could pave the way for Britain to enter the second stage of a double-dip recession
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Gary Gibbon
GDP figures: From bad to…?
Our Political Editor says the economists are unlikely to be offering any good news to the Government any time soon.
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George Osborne’s GDP growth mix-up
The Treasury tells FactCheck that Chancellor George Osborne “misspoke” when he said economic growth will be higher in every quarter in every year compared to the OBR’s June forecasts.
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Faisal Islam
Bob the Builder has fixed it, but with a note of caution
An incredible, unexpected economic surprise. And for once, a positive one, as GDP growth in the second quarter obliterates all expectations, writes Economics Editor Faisal Islam.
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Can Brown take credit for the economic recovery?
Gordon Brown claims his fiscal stimulus schemes are at the heart of the recovery.
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Faisal Islam
GDP figure will frame the final leaders’ debate
Faisal Islam blogs on how today’s GDP figure will have a big role to play in next week’s leaders’ debate on the economy – and possibly the party campaigns.
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Faisal Islam
Guessing the GDP in the leaders debate
We knew that the deficit was massive. Today we got confirmation that last year Britain borrowed a peacetime record, just below 11 per cent of national income. It is a mammoth sum, the sort of fiscal carnage only normally wrought by worldwide war. The news today, however, was that last year’s deficit ended up slightly…
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Faisal Islam
The Greatest Recession
I was returning from holiday this morning through Miami airport expecting to report on the end of the British recession. In the US, the economic situation is now commonly referred to as “The Great Recession”. I think on that basis, following today’s third quarter GDP numbers our own quagnmire can confidently be termed “The Greatest…
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Faisal Islam
German GDP: at last, a stat that makes UK look good
Schadenfreude. As the cast of Avenue Q sing so admirably, “it’s German for happiness at the misfortune of others”. There may be a touch of it around the Treasury today. For months, they were told by the likes of the IMF that the UK would suffer the most stinkingly heinous recession of all the world’s…