The migration fuelling George Osborne's 'comeback country'

Political parties lobbying for curbs on immigration may be missing the bigger picture - Britain needs foreign workers to avoid deeper cuts and higher taxes

George Osborne's sunny economic forecast and much of his claim that Britain is a "comeback country" have more to do with higher than expected levels of net inward migration than his stewardship as chancellor or the falling oil price.

That is not a verdict that you are likely to hear from the Conservatives or from Labour for that matter, both of which like to appear as parties opposed to mass migration, but the Office for Budget Responsibility makes clear that it is one key factor fuelling Britain's economic recovery.