DAILY MAIL COMMENT: There might be good news on the economy...but Labour's 'growth' is just a cynical trick

DAILY MAIL COMMENT: There might be good news on the economy...but Labour's 'growth' is just a cynical trick Published: 19:59 EST, 12 November 2026 | Updated: 20:00 EST, 12 November 2026 After a prolonged period of stagnation and torpor, any signs of economic expansion are to be welcomed.But it would be foolish to use the 0.7 per cent growth recorded between July and September as a bellwether of positive things to come. No one should forget that investment in the AI sector - which could implode at any moment - has been a significant factor in the improved figures.Even more crucially, the growth was heavily reliant on extravagant government spending. Figures for the latest quarter show public sector investment jumping by almost 14 per cent, while business investment grew by just 0.4 per cent.Nor are hard-pressed households likely to see any benefits in the short term. Experts say increasing prices, including a steep rise in energy bills from January, will stall growth in the months ahead. There are also mounting fears of another interest rate hike before Christmas.With little to show in terms of real wealth creation in the private sector, Rachel Reeves is wide of the mark with her self-congratulatory tweets about the state of the nation. If the former chancellor truly believes Labour has delivered an economy that is ‘not just resilient, but strong’, then she is deluded. If Rachel Reeves truly believes Labour has delivered an economy that is ‘not just resilient, but strong’, then she is deludedYes, Britain’s financial system is bearing up surprisingly well in the circumstances. But retailers, manufacturers and other firms continue to struggle because of the punitive anti-business measures introduced by the Government over the past two-and-a-half years.Only when Andy Burnham and his Cabinet colleagues rein in their shameful profligacy and introduce policies aimed at encouraging enterprise will things start to get better. By splurging taxpayers’ money to grow the economy in an artificial manner, Labour is guilty of the most cynical trick in the book.Halt the handoutsIt speaks volumes about Labour’s twisted welfare culture that one £4,000-a-month beneficiary - a serial criminal, no less - can make ‘large’ regular donations to the party.With the Benefits Street mindset now among the biggest challenges facing Britain, next week’s report by ex-Cabinet minister Alan Milburn could deliver a blueprint for a more sensible approach. Among the recommendations from Mr Milburn - who has carried out a review of the youth joblessness crisis - is a shake-up of the ‘fit note’ system for under-25s, who would instead be referred to ‘community work and health teams’ to usher them into employment.Before the report has even been published, there are murmurs of dissent in the Labour ranks. If Mr Burnham wants to be taken seriously as leader of the nation, he must finally face down the welfare apologists. But not for the first time, we won’t be holding our breath.PM's pointless tripAlone among G7 leaders, the Prime Minister found a window in his diary to attend the COP31 summit. Given that he delivered a six-minute speech to a sparsely populated conference centre before heading off, it was hardly worth making the trip.The most obvious conclusion is that Mr Burnham - who appears to be going cold on some key aspects of the Net Zero agenda - was going through the motions to appease his party’s eco-zealots. No doubt they’ll be prepared to overlook the pointless flight to Turkey and its large carbon footprint.