What has happened to Britain’s economic growth?

The Treasury’s joyful response to the news that Britain’s stagnating economy failed to grow in the latest quarter is a sign of how grim things really are, writes Sean O’Grady

Analysts say that the chancellor will have a little room for manoeuvre, but things are tight (Kirsty O’Connor/HM Treasury)

When is zero economic growth a moment for celebration? When it’s slightly better than the markets expected – and, if you’re a nervous Conservative politician, when it appears that the economy might well have escaped slipping into recession in 2023.

It is also, very marginally, good news for Rishi Sunak. The prime minister promised that one of his five priorities for 2023 was to deliver growth over the year. The fact that Britain’s stagnating economy failed to grow in the July-to-September period, and that this news was greeted with unconfined joy by the Treasury, is a sign of how grim things really are...

What did the prime minister promise on growth?