UK’s Christmas boom

TO paraphrase Mark Twain, reports on the death of the British economy appear to have been greatly exaggerated.

Despite doom-laden predictions, high streets enjoyed a bumper Christmas, with sales rising 6.9 per cent.

Clearly, after two festive seasons ruined by Covid, families weren’t going to let such trifles as rail strikes and freezing weather affect their celebrations.

In further positive news, Rolls-Royce sold a record 6,000 cars last year, enabling the firm to reward workers with a 10 per cent pay rise, plus a one- off productivity payment of £2,000.

It goes to show that even in a downturn, businesses that provide people with the goods and services they want will always succeed. And it proves that while the naysayers are desperate to hammer its coffin shut, there is still plenty of life left in the economy yet.