Mr Sunak has pledged to address the “peoples’ priorities” in his first domestic speech of 2023. He said he would do so with “no tricks” or “ambiguity”, promising to “rebuild trust in politics through action”. The Prime Minister made “five promises” to “deliver peace of mind” and “build a better future for our children and grandchildren”.
Mr Sunak pledged to halve inflation, grow the economy, make sure the national debt is falling, reduce NHS waiting lists and pass new laws to stop small boats.
He said: “So I want to make five promises to you today. Five pledges to deliver peace of mind. Five foundations, on which to build a better future for our children and grandchildren.
“First, we will halve inflation this year to ease the cost of living and give people financial security.
“Second, we will grow the economy, creating better-paid jobs and opportunities right across the country.
“Third, we will make sure our national debt is falling so that we can secure the future of public services.
“Fourth, NHS waiting lists will fall and people will get the care they need more quickly.
“Fifth, 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.
“So, five promises – we will: Halve inflation, grow the economy, reduce debt, cut waiting lists, and stop the boats.
“Those are the people’s priorities. They are your government’s priorities. And we will either have achieved them or not.
“No tricks… no ambiguity… we’re either delivering for you or we’re not. We will rebuild trust in politics through action, or not at all. So, I ask you to judge us on the effort we put in and the results we achieve.”
Mr Sunak went on to outline a new mission to ensure all pupils study some form of maths up to age 18 and leave school “better equipped for the jobs of the future”.
He said that giving “every child the highest possible standard of education” is “the single most important reason” why he entered politics, descibing the issue as being “personal”.
The PM noted that “every opportunity I’ve had in life began with the education I was so fortunate to receive”, continuing: “Thanks to the reforms we’ve introduced since 2010, and the hard work of so many excellent teachers, we’ve made incredible progress.
“With the right plan – the right commitment to excellence – I see no reason why we cannot rival the best education systems in the world”.
