Fastest Growing Economy

The government persists with this fastest growing economy trope.

We both have 10 apples; I lose 2 and you lose 8. The following year I gain 1 and you gain 4. So, after 12 months I have 9 and you have 6 and you have the fastest growing stock of apples, but I have more apples.

Having the fastest growing economy, under the current circumstances, is nothing more than a factor of being the hardest hit economy during the pandemic. It's not hard to understand and Johnson is attempting to make us believe that a sow's ear is actually a diamond encrusted Louis Vuitton handbag.

Now should it continue to grow at that rate, that would be good news, but without some underlying driver for that, you're on a hiding to nothing and just playing catch-up. This trope of his will come back to bite him in the bum when that growth, caused by catching up to where the economy was, but failing to reach it due to the negative effects of Brexit, ceases.

Also, given some countries on the continent have had lockdowns and the UK hasn't, their economies will be hard hit and bounce back fast when released, resulting in them having faster growing economies for exactly the same reasons. It's smoke and mirrors and cherry picking.

Additionally, having a fast increasing economy means bugger all if that growth is not evenly distributed and remains in the hands of a few. There are warnings already that due to the price increase of power, the rising price of 2nd hand cars, the threat of rampant inflation and rises in National Insurance, households are facing losing £1,200 a year in 2022.