Rishi Sunak’s warning of ‘harmful years forward’ that may change our lives
Rishi Sunak has listed things he says will make the world a more dangerous place in the next five years in a blatant election pitch.
The under-fire PM, fresh from the drubbing the Tories endured in the local elections this month, warned the UK is at a “crossroads”. In a speech in central London, he said the next few years will be “some of the most dangerous” the UK has ever seen.
Labour has said Mr Sunak isn’t the leader to take the country forward. The Prime Minister said authoritarian regimes including Russia, China and North Korea will be increasingly dangerous. And he brazenly claimed he has the “bold ideas” needed to turn things around after 14 years of Tory rule.
In a pitch to voters ahead of the general election later this year, the PM warned the public faces a stark choice as the country “stands at a crossroads”. He brazenly attempted to pitch himself as the leader with the “bold ideas” needed to “change society for the better” after 14 years of Tory rule.
The PM told an audience in central London: “Over the next few years, from our democracy to our economy to our society – to the hardest questions of war and peace – almost every aspect of our lives is going to change. How we act in the face of these changes – not only to keep people safe and secure but to realise the opportunities too – will determine whether or not Britain will succeed in the years to come. And this is the choice facing the country.”
Mr Sunak said Russia, Iran, North Korea and China are “working together to undermine us and our values”. He added that extremists “are also exploiting the global conflicts that divide us” as he heralded his commitment to raise defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2030.
And claiming that he has the solutions he went on: “I have bold ideas that can change our society for the better, and restore people’s confidence and pride in our country. I feel a profound sense of urgency. Because more will change in the next five years than in the last thirty. I’m convinced that the next few years will be some of the most dangerous yet most transformational our country has ever known.”
But Labour’s Pat McFadden warned that “the only way to stop the chaos” is with a “change of Government”. He said:”Nothing the Prime Minister says will change the fact that over the past 14 years, the Conservatives have brought costly chaos to the country, with this being the only Parliament in living memory where people’s standard of living will be lower at the end of it than the beginning.
“The Tories crashed the economy by using the country for a giant and reckless economic experiment, for which the British people are still paying the price. Even as the Prime Minister speaks, others in his party are positioning themselves to replace him.
“The only way to stop the chaos, turn the page and start to renew is with a change of Government. The Conservatives can’t fix the country’s problems because they are the problem. Another five years of them would not change anything for the better.”
This breaking story is being updated…
