The British economy growing at a rate of 0.1% a quarter would not normally be cause for unfurling the bunting at Number 11. After all GDP could hardly advance any less rapidly without grinding to a complete halt. But after the run of ghastly headlines Rachel Reeves has endured she will surely bank it as a morale boosting win.
Crucially today’s tiny but positive growth number kills off any talk of a recession over the winter. That had been a real statistical possibility if the fourth quarter GDP figure had been, as expected, on the other side of zero.
