Why upbeat UK manufacturing figures have silenced Osborne

News that production grew at its fastest pace in four years does not fit the narrative of an economy on edge before the EU vote

In normal times, George Osborne would have been all over the good news from the manufacturing sector like a rash. The figures from UK industry were better - a lot better - than the City had been expecting and showed the fastest month-on-month increase in almost four years.

So where was the instant statement from the chancellor praising the strength of the economy and the success of the government's strategy? Sherlock Holmes would have had the answer. Osborne's unusual reticence was a classic case of the dog that doesn't bark.

Related: British industrial production grows at fastest pace in four years