Germany’s stalling economy continues to deteriorate, with business confidence falling to its lowest level in four years. The IFO Institute’s business climate index February figures came in below expectations at 98.5 – the poorest figures since January 2015 when Germany was last flirting with recession. Six-month business projections also came in lower than expected, with IFO economists predicting that Germany’s weak second half of 2018 is set to continue…

This is no cause for gloating but it provides the broader context which is so often missing in the media’s Brexit-obsessed coverage of the UK’s economic performance – The UK is predicted to continue steady growth even as Europe stagnates. Increasingly it’s the EU which needs a deal more than ever…