Ross Clark Ross Clark

Today’s GDP figures show the ‘inevitable’ Brexit recession wasn’t so inevitable after all

So now we know. The recession that we were told would be ‘inevitable’ if we voted to leave the EU was not quite so inevitable after all. In fact, it hasn’t happened at all. The Office of National Statistics’ first estimate of economic growth for the third quarter has the economy growing by 0.5 per cent. Though this is just an early estimate and could well be revised – revision upwards or downwards of 0.1 to 0.2 per cent are perfectly normal – it is certainly not indicating a recession, which would be two quarters of negative growth. It is pretty much in line with how the economy was growing prior to the vote – a healthy annualised growth of around two per cent. That is no boom, but in the low-growth era which has followed the economic crisis of 2008/09 it is perfectly acceptable. By EU standards it is rather good.

Now just wait for the Remainers’ rearguard action.

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