The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) - disagrees with James Gordon Brown.

British business leaders have painted a dire picture of the UK economy, with a survey suggesting a "frightening deterioration"

The British Retail Consortium figures on sales from the High Street and online said that like-for-like sales in December were down 3.3% on a year ago while total sales shrank 1.4%.

This is despite the government cut in value added tax (VAT), which took effect in December.

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said its survey results were "awful" and the worst since it began in 1989. Elsewhere, a separate report suggested it had been the worst December for UK retail sales in at least 14 years. 

But food retailers were almost the only sector to show growth, the BRC said, amid what it described as "truly awful numbers".

"Non-food retailers had a torrid December despite a blizzard of promotions and deals, which would have hit margins," the BRC's director general Stephen Robertson said.

On 23 January, official figures are set to confirm the UK is in recession with six months of negative growth. 

However Gordon states that the UK is better-placed than most to weather the economic storm.Yet the business sector disagrees with him. 

I am sure that the Ministry of Tractor Production Stats will be producing figures to show that all is well in New Labours "Cool Britannia" and that the real world is in fact misguided and in need of Govt. guidance and correction....

New Labour a huge "gold standard cock-up", amoral, corrupt and evil to the core. Run by nomenklatura supporting a leader out of touch with reality.

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