UK’s problems won’t go away in ’23: Sunak

Bloomberg

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told Britons that the problems bedeviling the country won’t disappear in 2023, a warning that prompted the Labour Party to accuse the government of wrecking the economy.
In his first New Year’s address as prime minister, Sunak struck a sombre tone, acknowledging that it had been a difficult year for the country.
“I am not going to pretend that all our problems will go away in the New Year,” Sunak said in the video message posted to Twitter. “Just as we recovered from an unprecedented global pandemic, Russia launched a barbaric and illegal invasion across Ukraine.”
Sunak was 2022’s third prime minister following Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, who both resigned after losing the confidence of the ruling Tory party. The former Goldman Sachs Group banker has had to contend with difficulties for the nation at home and abroad in a tumultuous year. He promised to continue to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia and said he had made tough decisions to get the country’s borrowing and debt under control.
“2023 will have its challenges, but the government I lead will always put your priorities first,” Sunak said. Keir Starmer, the leader of the main opposition party, also acknowledged that it had been a tough year and said the country “needs to change.”
But a later message from shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves homed in on the wave of public sector strikes affecting transportation and hospitals, and on the government’s reluctance to negotiate with unions.
“The Tories’ approach is increasingly reckless in allowing these strikes to continue with no effort to resolve them,” Reeves told the Observer newspaper.
“Sitting on the sidelines is now just another way in which the Tories are sabotaging the UK economy.”
The Labour Party, which has been out of government for more than 12 years, is well ahead in opinion polls following the chaotic year under Sunak’s Conservatives. People Polling had the Conservatives 26 points behind in a survey for GB News, with some pollsters giving Starmer a lead of as much as 36 points earlier in the year. The Tories must call a general election by January 2025 at the latest.
“For Britain to become a fairer, greener, more dynamic country, we need a completely new way of doing politics,” Starmer said in his video message. “We must renew our vow to change our country for the better, 2023 is a new chapter for Britain.”

NY’s cheer in short supply for Britons battling inflation

Bloomberg

Soaring prices and a wave of strikes are weighing Britons down as residents of the UK capital prepare for what promised to be a muted New Year’s Eve for many.
Members of a retired doctor Paul Cullinan’s household are bundling up when indoors to stay warm and save money, he said, after UK electricity prices rose by two-thirds and gas more than doubled in the past year — despite a government subsidy that ends in early 2023.
Britons have also been hit by the rising cost of feeding their families. Food is among the biggest contributors to a 10.7% inflation rate. A survey by KPMG found almost two-thirds of those in the UK plan to cut spending and save more next year.
Naz Faqiri, a fruit and vegetable vendor, said increasing prices have already forced people to buy less. “On average, if a customer used to spend £20 a week on fruits before, now it’s been reduced to £10,” he estimated.
More and more people have sought help. Charity Trussell Trust’s UK-wide network
distributed 1.3 million food parcels in the six months to September, an increase of 52% from the same period in 2019.
Capturing the mood of the nation, its biggest grocer, Tesco, is running ads for party food that warn of a “joy shortage.”
Deals for sausage rolls and samosas may not be enough
to inspire big celebrations, though. Aside from money woes, Lindsay Mendes, a nurse at Homerton Hospital, says ill health is also reining in plans.
“So many people have got flu or they’ve got Covid,” she said outside a bakery next to Victoria Park, which plans a fireworks display. “It’s a perfect storm — no money, depression on the back of the government, the pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis.” What’s more, a wave of strikes has been disrupting daily life, from public transport to health services, as workers scramble to keep pace with inflation.