Rishi Sunak has given a “direct” message to Vladimir Putin at the G7 summit: “We’re not leaving.”
Speaking to Sky News in Hiroshima, the Prime Minister had answers ready for his policy and position Ukraine.
Hours before, he had announced it ban on imports of Russian diamonds – and told me he thinks other G7 countries will follow suit this weekend.
“Russia It should be known that we and other countries are firm in our determination to support Ukraine, not only here and now with the resources it needs to protect itself, but also in the long term,” the Prime Minister said.
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Mr altar he repeatedly refused to commit to reducing global net migration below the figure of 504,000 for the year to June 2022, saying: “What I can commit to is that we want to reduce these levels.”
In 2019 the conservative The party pledged in its manifesto to reduce global net migration figures from the then 226,000 by 2019.
But during this parliament, net migration has continued to rise to record levels, and is set to rise even higher.
Figures to be released next week will show the numbers growing from 650,000 to one million, increasing pressure on the Prime Minister.
Of course, Mr. Sunak hates committing to a figure because he doesn’t know if he can keep the promise – his motto after all is keep promises and don’t promise what you can’t keep.
But it is also an admission that, having failed to meet the last manifesto target of reducing net migration below 226,000, he cannot even commit to pushing it back beyond half a million, which will give the Labor plenty of political ammunition to fire. to the prime minister who is campaigning for the general elections.
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Rishi Sunak’s G7 Plan
Mr Sunak kept coming back to his plans to tackle illegal immigration and stop small boat crossings in our interview, probably because he knows this is where mainstream voters will want to see progress from the Prime Minister, but he has also of knowing that the high levels of migration and breaking the promise of the 2019 manifesto puts him in a tight spot with the public.
The Prime Minister said this week about his electoral prospects that he is confident he can win the next general election, but you can’t help but wonder if he is still recovering. heavy losses in local elections earlier this month which saw the Conservatives lose more than 1,000 councillors.
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After all, this is a very successful man: the head of his boarding school, a millionaire and a successful businessman who went into politics and became prime minister.
But when I asked him how he feels when he loses, he seemed a little perplexed and asked me what he meant.
When I asked him again how he felt when he didn’t win, he trotted out the same line he did on local election morning: “It’s always disappointing to lose hard-working councillors.”
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“How do you feel when you lose?”
In fact, the Prime Minister was quite robotic in our interview at times.
Eight times in our nine-minute exchange, Sunak referred to his “five priorities.”
He went on to list these priorities on four separate occasions in our conversation when I pressed him about the local elections and the cost of living crisis.
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On the world stage, this is a leader who is delivering, be it the new bilateral Hiroshima agreement Japan to deepen the economic, security and technological links between them London and Tokyo, or the new set of sanctions against Russia.
And Mr Sunak will receive a further boost on that front over the weekend President Zelensky of Ukraine arrives in Japan to stand shoulder to shoulder with its allies against Russian aggression.
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But back home, his message to voters about his five-point plan to “halve inflation, grow the economy, reduce debt, cut waiting lists and stop the boats” seems to be falling into sambet, no matter how many times you choose. so to speak
No 10 is betting that if it can turn these promises into real action for voters, they can give the Conservatives another look.
But after seven months in power, the polls are not moving in his favor, and what is clear is that there is no Plan B.
