Office for National Statistics

George Osborne and Vince Cable fear the rationing of lending to small firms could reverse the UK's economic recovery.

The consumer price index (CPI) of inflation eased in May to 3.4%, down from 3.7% in April, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

UK manufacturing performance took an unexpected knock in April according to official data, adding to fears Britain's economic recovery is much weaker than previously thought.

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.