Record job figures hide the true story of UK economy | Richard Partington

Conservatives may crow about employment but beneath the headlines it is a false read

Here are two things you might already know. As Britain prepares for life outside the EU, there have been repeated warnings of economic oblivion. Despite this, things have been good enough for the economy to create half a million more jobs over the past year, sending employment to a record high.

The dole queue has not been this short since Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel held the No 1 spot with Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me) in March 1975, not long after the UK first joined what is now the EU.

Related: UK firms' growth at six-year-low amid Brexit and global trade fears