The positive news is that the British economy is continuing to grow and is creating jobs. And it is positive news too that at a time of real international instability we are a safe haven in the storm.

Osborne frames economic performance as a counter-narrative to anxiety: growth and job creation are presented as tangible “positive news,” while the metaphor of a “safe haven in the storm” casts the UK as a stable destination for investment amid global turbulence. The pairing of domestic indicators (growth, jobs) with international instability suggests a political argument for fiscal and monetary credibility—implying that prudent stewardship makes Britain resilient when others are not. Rhetorically, the repetition of “positive news” works to reassure the public and markets, and to claim that stability is itself an economic asset that can attract capital and sustain employment.