The UK economy has a habit of surprising. Even when the margins are fine – and the most minuscule growth was being celebrated as cautious small steps in the right direction – the point was being made that it was the right direction and, with a bit more time and support, good things could happen.
Much of 2024 and 2025 saw the narrative of hard decisions being made to enable prosperity in years to come. While the first three months of 2026 producing GDP growth of 0.6 per cent won’t exactly be seen as being on the cusp of riches, it has certainly allowed Rachel Reeves to point to a bullish outcome from her early decisions as chancellor.
