Today, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, has delivered his first major domestic speech of 2023.
He outlined five pledges:
1 INFLATION: Half inflation to ease the cost of living.
2 GROWTH: Grow the economy to ensure there are better paid jobs and opportunities across the country.
3 DEBT: Reduce national debt to secure the future of public services.
4 NHS: To reduce NHS waiting lists.
5 IMMIGRATION: Bring in new laws to remove illegal arrivals.
The speech included the following announcements on:
Growth and Innovation:
– Emphasis on innovation with increased funding in R&D to £20bn to enhance UK’s strengths in AI, life sciences, quantum, fintech and green technologies.
– Reduce burden of taxation on working people.
Education:
– Reference to the Autumn Statement two weeks ago, highlighting provision of £2bn in funding to schools.
– Plans to make Numeracy compulsory until the age of 18.
Crime:
– By Spring, an extra 20,000 police officers will be patrolling the streets and answering calls for help.
NHS:
– Taking urgent action and increasing bed capacity in hospitals by 7,000.
Strikes:
– The Government values public sector workers and will facilitate a reasonable dialogue with Unions and provide an update in the coming days.
The PM sounded confident and offered reassurance about things improving within months after a turbulent year, but with the Conservative Party languishing 20 points behind the Labour Party in the opinion polls, will this be enough?