What the papers say: Britain's booming economy and ‘whinging’ Whitehall

The front page of the Times makes happy reading for the Government this morning with its news that Britain’s economy grew at a faster rate than any other leading economy in the world last year. But while politicians are keen to act as cheerleaders on occasions like this, they are somewhat more reluctant to mention another ‘metric of success: immigration’. So says the Guardian in its editorial in which it argues that foreign workers wanting to come to Britain is a sign of just how healthy our economy is. Theresa May faces a challenge, the paper says, in addressing the worries of workers who want immigration to be controlled, while not ignoring the demands of various sectors for workers from overseas. So what’s the solution? The Guardian sounds a note of pessimism saying that no answer can ‘satisfy both political pressure for lower numbers and employer demands for flexibility’. Instead it says the way to keep workers happy is simple: the Government must ensure a level playing field – by enforcing laws such as the minimum wage – rather than pinning the blame on immigrants for workers’ woes.