UK industrial sector boosted by higher oil, gas and manufacturing output

Oil production rise is biggest since March 2014, while figures will cheer George Osborne and new Conservative government

Britain's industrial sector bounced back to growth in March, helped by a resurgence in oil and gas production and steadily improving factory output.

The healthy figures will cheer George Osborne in the wake of the Conservative election victory after a run of lacklustre data showed the economy slowing sharply in the first three months of the year.