‘British economy will bounce back after toughest year yet’

BRITISH Finance Minister Gordon Brown yesterday predicted the British economy would bounce back after the “toughest and most challenging year” it had faced.

In his annual Pre-Budget Report, Mr Brown admitted that growth this year would be just 1.75%, compared to the 3% to 3.5% he was forecasting at the time of the Budget just eight months ago.

However, to Tory jeers, he forecast the economy would pick up strongly next year with growth of 2% to 2.5% next year rising to between 2.75% to 3.25% in the following two years.