Office for National Statistics

The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) hit a 17-month high of 3.7% in April, forcing Bank of England governor Mervyn King to write to new Chancellor George Osborne to explain why.

British factory production surged ahead at a rate five times faster than expected in March as the weak pound helped revitalise Britain's export trade.

The UK's employment rate fell 0.3% between Q4 2009 and Q1 of 2010, according to figures released last week by the ONS.

UK Government borrowing reached a new peak in 2009-10 but undershot the figure forecast in the Budget.

Britain's emergence from an 18-month recession was stronger than first thought, according to revised ONS data.

Inflation fell back to 3% in February after a sharp spike at the beginning of the year.

A key estimate of UK GDP suggests output increased in the three months ending in January, but indications of a more substantial recovery are still wide of the mark, according to the National Institute of Economic and Social Research.

Recessions can be likened to dieting. They may be good for the long-term health of the economy but they are unpleasant to endure and it is a great relief when they end

Unemployment in the UK continued to rise in the three months to September, although the 30,000 increase was the smallest since May 2008.