A SENIOR Labour figure hit out at the Tories’ record on the economy during a visit to Southampton.

Tom Watson was speaking after official figures showed the UK’s growth had slowed over the first quarter of 2015, dealing a blow to the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.

However, they struck back at Labour, saying the economy was still continuing to grow and urged voters not to choose “instability” in voting for Ed Miliband’s party.

Mr Watson, a former deputy party chairman who is bidding for re-election in West Bromwich East, joined party Southampton Itchen candidate Rowenna Davis to campaign in Weston.

She will face Conservative candidate Royston Smith, as well as Lib Dem Eleanor Bell, Green John Spottiswoode, TUSC’s Sue Atkins and UKIP’s Kim Rose on May 7.

Tuesday’s Office for National Statistics showed a worse-thanexpected 0.3 per cent growth for the first quarter of 2015, with the pace of gross domestic product growth half of what it was in the final quarter of 2014.

The preliminary estimate published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed the dominant services sector grew at its slowest pace in almost two years.

Daily Echo:

Meanwhile, the construction sector shrank for the second quarter in a row – the first time this has happened since 2012.

Industrial production also shrank slightly, squeezed by a decline in North Sea output amid lower oil and gas prices, though within production manufacturing edged up.

The “long-term economic plan” and the revival of the UK’s finances has been a key cornerstone of the Conservative campaign, but Mr Watson told the Daily Echo: “It is empirically true that it has taken the longest period of time to come out of recession so this idea that the Tories have cleverly steered us out of the choppy economic waters isn’t true.

“They said they would end the deficit and they haven’t. We still have too many young people without jobs facing an uncertain future.”

He said part of Labour’s plan for the economy was cutting rates for small businesses, adding: “I think we have got a better plan than the Tories and the heart of that is small business growth.”

Prime Minister David Cameron said the economy was “growing at a rate that many other European countries would give their eye teeth for. These are one quarter’s figures.

They are less exciting than the previous quarter's figures that were higher, they show the economy is growing but they remind us, a timely reminder, that you cannot take recovery for granted.

“GDP figures show our economy is still growing, but we can’t take the recovery for granted. Don’t risk it with Ed Miliband and the SNP.”

Lib Dem Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander said: “Britain will continue to grow at a health rate if we stick to a sensible, balanced, timely plan to finish the job fairly”, saying Labour would rack up more borrowing and debt while the Tories would “lurch to the right with unnecessarily deep cuts”.

UKIP leader Nigel Farage said the figures made the Conservatives claim of leading an economic recovery “look a bit soggy”.