No economist thinks that gross domestic product, or GDP, is the be all and end all to measuring prosperity. But for politicians, the economic data can be career making, or breaking. That data had threatened to undermine the Conservatives’ chances of electoral victory. But now those figures are thought to have underestimated the UK’s economic strength, as analysts forecast they will be revised up in the coming week. For the parties of the last Government, which had attempted to build their re-election platform on the creation of a strong economy, these disappointing growth figures threatened to undo their messaging. ... (full story)