Reeves says ‘if economy ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ - as fight to keep her job goes on

The message from Rachel Reeves is clear. After Britain’s economy defied the predictions for a slump in March, despite the fallout from the Iran war, why put things at risk with a roll of the dice in domestic politics? Responding to bumper growth of 0.3% in March – much stronger than City economists’ forecasts for a 0.2% contraction – the chancellor said the figures showed she had the right economic plan, in a comment laced with subtext. Over the first three months of 2026, the economy grew by 0.6%, up sharply from growth of 0.1% in the final three months of last year. At that pace Britain is now the fastest growing economy in the G7. “Now is not the time to put our economic stability at risk. To do so would leave families and business worse off. Instead, this government is getting on with the job of building an economy that is stronger, more resilient, and prepared for the future,” Reeves said. The fighting talk could easily be directed at Labour’s external critics. After Keir Starmer’s two years in power, the government has struggled to show much progress on its top priority of growing the economy. However, the message also works for an internal audience. …