In Spring 2013 the IMF said that the Conservative-led Coalition was "playing with fire ... with the growth flat-lining... [and] should be easing off some of those spending cuts."

This is Robert Peston on BBC Radio 4's PM last Tuesday:

There is a debate still to be had about whether or not the UK approach over the full period of the parliament was the most effective in terms of generating recovery.

It shouldn't be forgotten that UK national income is still below its peak of the first quarter of 2008.

Other counties that are currently growing more slowly than ours, such as Germany, have an income that is about that of 2008.  In other words, these countries have continued along the path of enrichment better than we have and they are wealthier than they were before the crash of 2008 whereas we are less wealthy than we were before the crash.

Thanks to David F.