The Prime Minister has outlined a series of key promises that his Government will carry out this year which he has defined as the "people's priorities".
Rishi Sunak made five major pledges in his first speech of 2023 on Wednesday, committing to the likes of reducing NHS waiting lists, bringing in new immigration laws, tackling inflation and growing the economy. The PM described these plans as "five foundations on which to build a better future for our children and grandchildren".
Labour was quick to criticise the pledges, accusing Sunak of making promises he would "struggle not to keep", as the Tory leader refused to give a specific timescale for each of the plans despite promising "no ambiguity" on the priorities. Here are the five things the Prime Minister committed to in his speech.
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1. Half inflation
Sunak promised that the Government will "halve inflation this year to ease the cost of living and give people financial security". Recent months have seen inflation soar in part due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, currently standing at 10.7% - posing one of the biggest challenges for the Government and UK households.
The Prime Minister committed to cutting inflation in half by the end of 2023, saying that this was part of the plan to restore inflation back to "where it belongs", which is the Bank of England's target figure of 2%. According to economists, it's thought that the worst inflation has now passed and this year will see levels steadily fall.
2. Cut NHS waiting lists
The Prime Minister pledged in his speech that "NHS waiting lists will fall and people will get the care they need more quickly". The promise comes as the NHS is under extreme pressure, with senior staff issuing increasingly concerning warnings about the current state of the health service.
NHS England has previously estimated that waiting lists won't be reduced until around March 2024. Sunak added: "Covid has imposed massive new pressures and people are waiting too long for the care they need. We're fixing that, but we need to do more."
NHS Providers’ director of communications Adam Brimelow criticised Sunak's lack of specifics on how the plans would be realised, saying: "The Prime Minister’s pledge to cut waiting lists so that people get the care they need more quickly is an ambition that everyone in the NHS shares. But his speech was short on detail about how this will be achieved."
3. Introduce new immigration laws
Sunak said: "We will pass new laws to stop small boats, making sure that if you come to this country illegally, you are detained and swiftly removed". The PM has spoken repeatedly in the past about illegal migration and Channel crossings, insisting that addressing the situation is one of his top priorities.
Plans for the new legislation were announced last year, but the Prime Minister failed to give any extra detail in his speech about when these laws would come into effect. "Ultimately Parliament decides how long it takes to pass that legislation," he said when pressed for a specific date.
Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: "The way to stop small boat crossings is to create safe routes, such as that set up for Ukrainian refugees, for those fleeing war and persecution. The Prime Minister’s proposal to remove anyone who arrives in the UK on a small boat will in fact simply leave thousands of men, women and children in limbo."
4. Reduce national debt
The PM also committed to the Government ensuring that the UK's "national debt is falling so that we can secure the future of public services". This echoes the plans outlined in Jeremy Hunt's autumn statement, in which the Chancellor warned that "difficult decision" would have to be made in order to stabilise the UK's finances.
Sunak added: "We already have got plans in place to make sure that debt does fall in the medium term. The key is sticking to those and making sure that we have the discipline to do so because that’s not always easy, but it’s the right thing to do to secure the future of public services and indeed to combat inflation."
5. Grow the economy
Sunak promised to "grow the economy, creating better-paid jobs and opportunity right across the country". This was also a key priority of former PM Boris Johnson as part of his levelling-up agenda. Sunak re-iterated these plans as he said that his Government would deliver "greater investment in local areas, to boost growth, create jobs".
North East politicians have previously criticised the Prime Minister over the Government's levelling up record in the region, with one local Tory member accusing Sunak of failing to understand the flagship policy during a hustings debate last year.
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