Chancellor George Osborne today claimed Britain was “further along the road” to recovery than other countries.
His comments came as a think tank reported Britain’s economic output grew 0.8 per cent in the three months to last month. Mr Osborne was speaking ahead of meeting ministers from the world’s richest countries at the annual G7 meeting which is being held in Buckinghamshire. He said: “We are not powerless victims of global forces, but can be masters of our own destiny. We have shown political will to tackle problems at home and I believe the UK is further along that road than many.”
As the summit begins, the National Institute for Economic and Social Research reported the UK’s economy grew 0.8 per cent between February and last month. Meanwhile, the Office for National Statistics has already said gross domestic product grew by 0.3 per cent in the first three months of this year.
The figures will help the Chancellor as he seeks to persuade the International Monetary Fund to back his policies. IMF chief economist Olivier Blanchard has accused Mr Osborne of “playing with fire”.
