UK retail sales: while politicians campaigned, the voters shopped

April's big rise in retail sales is down to the falling cost of oil and shops cutting prices. But getting consumers to spend is the easy part of George Osborne's long-term economic plan

Britons love a windfall. When the building societies became banks, consumers sold their shares and went on a spree. When they received compensation for wrongly sold payment protection insurance, they blew the lot on new cars and cruises.

So when oil prices crashed in the second half of 2014, it was a no-brainer that shops and stores could look forward to a promising start to 2015. Faced with the choice between banking the savings they were making on filling up the car and a bit of retail therapy there was never any real doubt about what consumers would do.

Related: Sun shines on UK clothing industry with biggest April rise for five years