Coalition ministers have claimed that the economy is finally "on the mend" after official estimates suggested sustained growth not seen for almost two years.
But Labour warned that the recovery still had a long way to go to counteract the Tory-LibDem Government's mismanagement.
Though predicted, the figures will still have come as a relief to the Coalition, which has struggled to stimulate the flatlining economy. They mark the first back-to-back quarterly growth in the UK since 2011. The estimates also suggest the economy grew 0.6%, twice the previous quarter's 0..3%.
Labour said that while there was an economic recovery on paper many people would not be feeling any better off. Shadow chancellor Ed Balls said that the economic growth was "both welcome and long overdue but added that the economy had a long way to go to "catch up" with where it was when Labour left office.
Although cautious, Coalition ministers welcomed the figures. Prime Minister David Cameron said they showed Britain was on the right track and "building an economy for hard working people".
The Chancellor said the figures were a vindication of austerity policies, saying: "Britain's holding its nerve, we're sticking to our plan, the economy's on the mend."
Economists warned that underlying weaknesses meant a sustained recovery could be difficult to achieve.
Vicky Redwood of Capital Economics said: "Even a 0.6% quarterly rise is fairly mediocre after such a deep recession and GDP is still 3.3% below its peak.
"And with households' real pay still falling, bank lending flat and public sector austerity measures building, the economy may struggle to maintain its rate of growth."
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