The issues of growth performance and structural change are critical to an appreciation of British economic development. This text reviews Britain's growth performance and considers the changing structure of the economy. It incorporates a discussion of the controversial political issues in this sphere: deindustrialization, North Sea oil and the environmental cost of economic growth. Against this background, it analyzes the evolution of the supply-side policy in the post war years, and speculates on its likely development in the 21st century.