According to an International Monetary Fund report, the UK has overtaken France to become the second economy in Europe following growth of 2.8% in 2014. The news will come as a huge boost to the Conservative party and David Cameron who just published their manifesto ahead of the 2015 general elections in May. The Tories pledged to continue along a path that has seen them rebuild the UK economy since the crash of 2008 under the Labour government.
The IMF report goes on to claim that the UK will in fact cement its position as the second largest economy in the coming years, predictions indicate that the UK will grow by 2.7% in 2015 and by 2.3% in 2016.
In fact the document highlights that the within the G7, only the US is expected to perform better. Conservatives will be sure to use the recent figures in order to try to open a lead over Labour in the polls. Recent poll results have indicated that the parties are neck and neck at 34% each, they have been running alongside each other for months, with neither party able to take a significant step towards a majority. Current figures indicate that neither party will manage to open a big enough lead to set up a majority government come May. However, there is no doubt that the Tories will take heart from the recent economic development.
The revelation plays perfectly into the hand of the right-wing party given the fact that it is France that the UK has overtaken.
France has had a socialist government in place since 2012 when Francois Hollande took power pledging to tax the rich and fight against big business. Since then, things have not quite gone to plan for the French president and the economy has somewhat stunted. With a little less than a month to go before the general elections, will the IMF report help the Conservatives open up a lead in the polls?
