“Rishi Sunak used his first big speech since entering Downing Street to try to frame his political vision and draw dividing lines with Labour before the next election. In an attempt to move beyond the immediate focus on public-sector strikes and the cost of living crisis, Sunak said yesterday that although many people were looking towards the new year with “apprehension” there was a “better future” ahead. He hinted at future government policies, from promoting innovation to educational reform, that he said would help restore “optimism, hope and pride in Britain”. For political obsessives there was one sentence in Sunak’s speech that stood out by dint of its familiarity. He declared that “if you work hard and play by the rules you should be rewarded”.” – The Times
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“NHS waiting times are too long, Rishi Sunak has admitted in a new year’s speech that saw him urge hospitals not to cancel elective surgeries despite the severe pressure on A&E departments. The prime minister did not say whether people should expect immediate improvement in the health service, after reports of unnecessary deaths due to long ambulance response times and difficulties transferring patients into hospital. He admitted “people are waiting too long for the care they need” but stressed that ensuring waiting lists started to fall was one of his five key pledges.” – The Guardian
Comment:
“The PM spelled out five promises for voters to judge him against this year – including that inflation will be halved to tackle the cost of living, and the Channel migrant crisis will be eased. He also committed to grow the economy, reduce debt and – perhaps the toughest test – cut NHS waiting lists. But despite hoping for a fresh start in the New Year, the Tory infighting that dominated 2022 reared its head again today as Mr Sunak was slammed for dumping a series of Boris Johnson’s flagship policies. Former Cabinet minister Nadine Dorries, a staunch ally of the ex-PM, was angered by the revelation that plans to privatise Channel 4 have been dropped.” – Daily Mail
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“Teachers’ strikes have become more likely following a backlash against Rishi Sunak’s pledge to make all pupils in England study maths until the age of 18, a union leader has warned. The Prime Minister is facing a backlash from the teaching profession after his pledge to combat high rates of adult innumeracy by ensuring that teenagers continue to study some form of maths for an additional two years. Teachers, currently being balloted on industrial action over pay, said the announcement fails to address the existing shortage of maths teachers or tackle any of the major problems, such as a retention crisis, facing the education system.” – Daily Telegraph
“One could see the fledgling campaign already – I am not like the others. I will not promise you the world, but will get things done. It is an approach voters have been crying out for. The biggest criticism of politicians in my focus groups is not that they are incompetent or malign, but that they never simply tell the public how it is. Yet if you had opened Twitter on Wednesday you would have seen the commentariat at its most snooty. The usual suspects sneered at Mr Sunak’s “maths to 18” pledge and batted away much of his speech. But his five promises are well targeted at voters the Conservatives need to win back. The fight now is not for millennials who stopped voting Tory after Brexit.” – Daily Telegraph
Editorial:
>Today:
“Rishi Sunak has asked Michael Gove to draw up plans to tackle antisocial behaviour as he makes the problem a priority before the next election. He said antisocial behaviour should not be treated as an “inevitable or a minor crime” as he pledged to crack down on disorder in communities. In his speech yesterday, the prime minister said he wanted to introduce powers to ensure “these crimes will be quickly and visibly punished”. Antisocial behaviour could be a “gateway to more extreme crimes”, he added, as he signalled a return to New Labour’s antisocial behaviour orders, or Asbos. He cited war memorials sprayed with graffiti and discarded nitrous oxide canisters and needles in playgrounds as examples of how antisocial behaviour “makes life miserable for so many”.” – The Times
>Today: Harry Phibbs in Local Government: Gove’s £1.4 billion mystery gift for the North East… plus a new Geordie Tax
“Labour will not open the “big government chequebook” in an attempt to repair Britain’s faltering public services if it wins the next election, Keir Starmer will warn. In a new year speech in London on Thursday, setting out his principles for government, the Labour leader will promise a “decade of national renewal” if the party returns to government. But he will deny that the country’s problems can be fixed by more spending, even as doctors say the NHS is in crisis and strikes bring a number of public services to their knees. Starmer will say: “We can give people a sense of possibility again, show light at the end of the tunnel.”” – The Guardian
“Labour appeared split over the NHS crisis on Wednesday after a shadow minister refused to endorse Wes Streeting’s call for doctors to reform the way they work. Last month, the shadow health secretary told The Telegraph that he could not understand why the British Medical Association was “hostile” to the idea that with more staff must come better standards for patients. But Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, the shadow mental health minister, repeatedly refused to back this approach in an interview. Asked about Mr Streeting’s “reform or die” call to the NHS, she would only tell BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the Labour policy she stood by was the commitment to increase the number of staff.” – Daily Telegraph