General election: GDP figures a blow to Tories as ONS cuts UK growth rate days before election
Source: The Independent
Britains rate of economic growth has been cut in half by the national statistics office, dealing a surprise blow to the Conservative campaign just day before voters go to the polls for the general election.
In a surprise set of figures, the Office for National Statistics said the economy had grown by only 0.3% in the first three months of 2015 half the rate it grew at in the final quarter of 2014.
Production, construction, and agriculture all shrank with only services showing growth
The figures, which show a worrying slowing in Britains economic fortunes, were significantly worse than City analysts had been expecting.
The economys construction, production and agriculture sectors all shrank, with only the service sector keeping overall economic growth positive with an increase of 0.5%, according to the ONS.
Read more: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/blow-to-tories-economic-credentials-as-ons-cuts-uk-economic-growth-rate-cut-in-half-days-before-election-10208992.html
Let's see how Cameron tries to talk his way out of this with just days to go before the election.
CUT IN HALF - That's not just a radar blip...
LeftishBrit
(41,203 posts)'Oh blah blah blah de blah; it's all Labour's fault; they're the ones who nearly bankrupted the country (never mind that it was a global crisis!), oh and Miliband isn't to be trusted, oh and the SNP are the most dangerous people in Britain, and Miliband might form an alliance with them, and BLAH BLAH BLAH!'
I was sure that the growth figures were misleading - I could see that there obviously wasn't much growth going on, and I live in the South, which is generally less affected by the recession and austerity than the North or Midlands.
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)T_i_B
(14,736 posts)I'm listening to Cameron on the Jeremy Vine show now (pure masochism I know) and he's still blathering on endlessly about the deficit and claiming that the economy is in much better shape then it was (which I don't see at all).
http://newsthump.com/2015/04/28/conservatives-reveal-new-election-tactic-of-shouting-economy-at-everyone-for-next-nine-days/
ECONOMY, shouted David Cameron yesterday at a Conservative rally in Chelmsford, before immediately boarding his Tory battle-bus and heading off to Southend where he shouted ECONOMY at some other people. This Thursday will see Question Time host all the party leaders and is now expected to be dominated by David Cameron shouting ECONOMY, and potentially putting his fingers in his ears and going la la la la, when anyone tries to argue.
If the new plan proves effective then it is expected the other major parties will establish similar strategies of shouting one-word summations of what they stand for.
Labour are expected to shout NHS, the SNP will shout KILTS, and the Liberal Democrats NICE HAIR. However UKIP are said to be furious at the blatant plagiarism of their own tactics after they spent the last four years shouting IMMIGRANTS! at anyone who would listen.