Rachel Reeves breathed a sign of relief today as the economy turned in better-than-expected growth in the first quarter of the year.
The Chancellor hailed the 'strength and potential' of UK plc after official figures showed a 0.7 per cent expansion - quelling fears of a looming recession.
It was better than the 0.6 per cent analysts had pencilled in, with Ms Reeves boasting that activity had outstripped the US, Canada, France, Italy and Germany.
However, there were worrying signs in March, when the rate of improvement in GDP slowed to just 0.2 per cent. Firms have been warning of worse to come as Labour's massive national insurance raid and minimum wage hikes did not take effect until April.
The full impact of Donald Trump's trade war has also yet to be felt - with speculation the figures could have been flattered by companies rushing to avoid levies.
