April’s UK retail sales figures should be treated with a little caution, says economics editor Larry Elliott:

Britain went on a spending spree in April. The shops were full of punters. Online retailers coined it in. Spring brought with it an end to the winter consumer spending blues.

That at least is what the official figures suggest. The Office for National Statistics reported that the volume of retail sales rose by 2.3% last month, smashing City expectations. This, though, is the same Office for National Statistics that said earlier this week that living standards were being squeezed because wages were failing to keep pace with prices. Something doesn’t quite add up.