For his first general policy speech, on January 4, the British Prime Minister made five promises, including the reduction of the waiting lists of the health service.
By Eric Albert (London, Correspondence)
For his big back -to -school speech, Rishi Sunak had a choice. The British Prime Minister could pronounce it one day of strike by trains (from January 3 to 7), buses (January 4 and 5) or highways employees (January 3, 6 and 7). He could also wait until next week, with the continuation of the raising of driving school inspectors, that of paramedics or even teachers in Scotland. It was finally possible to wait until the following week, with the culmination that will represent the two days of strike by nurses.
The head of government, in place for two and a half months, finally spoke on Wednesday January 4. And he succeeded in practically not evoking the climate of social anger, however unprecedented for three decades. He preferred to make a positive discourse, promising “a future that restores optimism, hope and pride in the United Kingdom”. “We can reverse the slow acceptance of the decline, reject pessimism and fatalism, refuse the limits of our aspirations.”
reduce in half inflation
Concretely, Mr. Sunak made five promises to the British, on which he intends to be tried at the end of his mandate, in two years (the next elections are scheduled for January 2025). By the end of the year, he ensures that he will reduce inflation by half; that the economy, currently in recession, will regain growth; that he will “[s] ” ‘that the public debt drops; that the waiting lists of the National Health Service (NHS), the health service, will be reduced; And that new laws will be passed to stop the passage of migrants by makeshift boats on the English Channel.
This speech was the first opportunity for Mr. Sunak to impose his brand. His arrival at Downing Street on October 25 was in panic. His predecessor, Liz Truss, had only lasted fifty days, after a catastrophic budget which had caused a beginning of financial panic. She herself succeeded Boris Johnson, whose escapades had hit the headlines all the first semester 2022.
m. Sunak, 42, therefore devoted her first two months to Downing Street to calm the storm. “Since I became Prime Minister, we have made progress, stabilizing the economy,” he said. The fact remains that political evil is done: conservatives are on average 26 % of voting intentions, against 48 % for Labor.
Was it prudent to try to inject a dose of optimism in these circumstances? Beth Rigby, journalist at Sky News, did not spare Mr. Sunak at the press conference which followed his speech: “We were of course awaiting a reassuring tone on your part,” she said, ” A real life, there is no train, it is impossible to get a doctor’s appointment, the nurses use food banks [to get out of it], and if we call 999 [emergencies] , we are not sure that an ambulance will arrive in time to save his loved ones. (…) And now, you make promises on how you will change the country (…). My question is: why is it That the general public must believe that you are different from your predecessors? “
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