BlackRock's Edwards: UK recovery 'two years behind US'

The UK is two years behind the US in terms of economic recovery, a leading fund manager has warned.

Ben Edwards (pictured), who runs the £272m BlackRock Corporate Bond fund, said despite the UK economy showing 'green shoots' of recovery, it is still lagging behind the strong growth seen across the Atlantic. "There are still a number of headwinds for the UK," he said. "Europe is still extremely weak. We expect worse growth and more unemployment, particularly in some of the peripheral countries. "I believe political risks in Europe have increased rather than decreased, particularly in the last month. That could be a major drag on the UK economy. "We cannot assume we will see the sa...