Tag: Rishi

Rishi Sunak expands role of UK pharmacies to cut GP waiting times

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London: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who worked in his mother’s pharmacy as a young boy growing up in Southampton, was back in his hometown on Tuesday to unveil plans for an expanded role for pharmacists to cut down long wait times for patients wanting to see a general practitioner (GP).
The 42-year-old British Indian leader had his blood pressure checked at Weston Lane Surgery in the south-east England port city and got a clean chit as he spoke to reporters about the initiative to cut down waiting lists for the state-funded National Health Service (NHS), one of his government’s top priorities. Patients with minor ailments like earache and sore throat would now be encouraged to go directly to their pharmacist, freeing up GPs for more serious illnesses.
“By expanding the role of pharmacies, fewer people will need to see their GP in the first place,” said Sunak.

“Today’s plans are expected to free up around 15 million GP appointments over the next two years for patients who need them most. Which means the next time you want to see your GP, you should be able to do so quicker,” he said.
Sunak branded his plans as a “bold and innovative package” of measures to significantly change how the NHS works and also tackle the “frustrating” 8 am local time call to a GP practice to get an appointment for the day.
“We will end the 8 am rush by making sure patients are either given an appointment immediately when they call or signposted to a more appropriate service such as NHS 111 or their local pharmacy. You will no longer be told to call back later,” said Sunak.
Cutting down on NHS wait times made worse as a result of the COVID pandemic, was among Sunak’s five key pledges at the start of this year. According to him, transforming primary care is the next part of this government’s promise to cut NHS waiting lists.
NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard said the reforms would “help us to free up millions of appointments for those who need them most, as well as supporting staff so that they can do less admin and spend more time with patients”.

“We are already making real progress with 10 per cent more GP appointments happening every month, compared to before the pandemic. I want to make sure people receive the right support when they contact their general practice and bring an end to the 8 am scramble for appointments,” said UK Health Secretary Steve Barclay.
“To do this, we are improving technology and reducing bureaucracy, increasing staffing and changing the way primary care services are provided, which are all helping to deliver on the government’s promise to cut waiting lists,” he said.
An average-sized GP clinic in England of 10,000 patients often receives more than 100 calls in the first hour of every Monday. The UK’s Department for Health and Social Care said with advanced digital telephony, rather than an engaged tone, patients will receive a queue position, a call-back option, and their call can be directly routed to the right professional. The phone system will also be integrated with the clinical systems so practice staff can quickly identify patients and their information from phone numbers.
UK Minister for Health Neil O’Brien added: “Where GPs have already moved over to these new technologies, we see they free up the phones, making it much easier for people to get through to their general practice team.”
“As well as being more convenient for patients, these really easy-to-use digital tools allow a lot of patients to get the help they need without ever needing to go in for an appointment, which will help cut waiting lists. Investing GBP 240 million in these modern tools and the help GPs need to move onto them will make things more convenient for patients, but also make the workload more manageable for general practice teams,” he added.
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#Rishi #Sunak #expands #role #pharmacies #cut #waiting #times
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

May 9, 2023
British PM Rishi Sunak hosts Coronation Big Lunch for community heroes

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London: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty hosted a Coronation Big Lunch at Downing Street here on Sunday for community heroes to celebrate the crowning of King Charles III and Queen Camilla as part of the country’s long celebratory weekend.
The invitees included US first lady Jill Biden and British Sikh entrepreneur Navjot Singh Sawhney, who won the UK PM’s Points of Light Award earlier this year for his eco-friendly hand-cranked Washing Machine Project, which is benefitting over 1,000 families without access to an electric machine in underdeveloped countries or refugee camps.
The event was one of an estimated 50,000 Big Lunches or street parties being organised up and down the United Kingdom to celebrate the Coronation at Westminster Abbey in London on Saturday. Ukrainians forced to flee the war-torn country amid its conflict with Russia were also present at the lunch.

“Come rain or shine, thousands of friends and neighbours are coming together this weekend to put up the bunting, pour the tea and cut the cake at street parties and community events across the UK,” said Sunak.
“I am proud to welcome Ukrainians forced to flee their homes and some incredible community heroes to Downing Street for our very own Coronation lunch to celebrate this historic moment. In England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and across our Overseas Territories and the wider Commonwealth people are marking this momentous occasion in the spirit of unity and hope for the future,” he said.
The British Indian leader made history at the Coronation ceremony on Saturday when he read a passage from a biblical book at the Abbey as the head of government of the host nation.
Akshata Murty, the daughter of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy and the UK’s Indian First Lady, marched in with him as part of a Commonwealth Realms procession.
Sunday marks the designated Big Lunch element of the Coronation weekend, a nationwide initiative to bring neighbours and communities together to celebrate the historic event.

Downing Street has been adorned with bunting featuring the official Coronation emblem and the Union Flag. Crockery was donated by Emma Bridgewater the award-winning ceramics company based in Stoke-on-Trent including a limited-edition King Charles III teapot.
Besides Sawhney, several other recipients of the Points of Light Award volunteers that have made an outstanding contribution to their community were invited to attend the event.
“Winning the Points of Light award and getting recognised by the Prime Minister is a phenomenal privilege. The Washing Machine Project’s mission is to alleviate the burden of unpaid labour, mainly on women and children,” said Sawhney of his work.
Attendees enjoyed food sourced from across the UK, including Loch Duart salmon from Sutherland in North West Scotland and soda farl from Northern Ireland. Beef came from Gloucestershire in South West England and ice cream was sourced from Chilly Cow, a company based in Ruthin, Wales.
Ukrainians fleeing the Russia-Ukraine conflict and their UK-based sponsors also joined the event.
They include Olga Breslavska who travelled to the UK as part of the Homes for Ukraine scheme and is currently studying an intensive English course. Caroline Quill a Homes for Ukraine sponsor has been instrumental in matching 250 families across East Sussex and Kent and will also join the lunch.
Young people from organisations such as UK Youth and the National Association of Boys and Girls Clubs were also invited to mark the occasion.
Members of Britain’s royal family will also attend some community events and street parties during the day before seeing the likes of pop stars Katy Perry and Take That perform at Windsor Castle at the Coronation Concert on Sunday evening. Bollywood star Sonam Kapoor Ahuja is among those scheduled to make an appearance at the concert.
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#British #Rishi #Sunak #hosts #Coronation #Big #Lunch #community #heroes
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

May 7, 2023
UK PM Rishi Sunak admits disappointing’ first electoral test outcome

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London: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday admitted it was a “disappointing” run for the governing Conservative Party, with the Opposition Labour and Liberal Democrat parties making significant gains in the local elections.
Voters went to the polls on Thursday to elect local representatives in 230 of England’s 317 councils in what marked Sunak’s first electoral test at the ballot box since the British Indian leader took charge at 10 Downing Street in October 2022.
Even as the results continue to be counted, Labour gained control of some of its top target councils including Medway in south-east England which has been under Tory control for 20 years.

Pollsters had forecast that a loss of fewer than 1,000 seats for the governing Tories would be seen as a good result for Sunak, given that the government usually faces a drubbing in local polls close to a general election which is expected towards the second half of next year.
However, that threshold seems set to be crossed and will add immense pressure on the British Indian leader within his own party ranks.
“It is always disappointing to lose hardworking Conservative councillors,” said Sunak as the early results and trends poured in.
“I’m not detecting any massive groundswell of movement towards the Labour Party,” the 42-year-old prime minister stressed.
However, the Opposition parties have declared the results a big sign of things to come in the general election.

“Make no mistake, we are on course for a Labour majority at the next general election. We’ve won the trust and confidence of voters and now we can go on and change our country,” said Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer.
Starmer travelled to Medway to celebrate his party’s victory in the Kent council with local activists.
“You didn’t just get it over the line, you blew the doors off,” he told the crowd.
He said Labour were “on course” to win a majority at the next general election.
Liberal Democrat Leader Sir Ed Davey, meanwhile, described the results as a “ground-breaking night” for his party.
“The Liberal Democrats are the big winners in this year’s local elections,” he declared.
While poll experts are striking a note of caution to say that local elections have never proven to be very reliable indicators for a general election, the mood music around Sunak having taken over a deeply divided party without the backing of the wider British electorate has only got louder.
“The clear message of the night is indeed that the Conservatives have done badly,” polling expert John Curtice told the BBC.
“The slightly more difficult thing for the Labour Party is that yes, it has hit some of its targets and it has made significant gains already, [but] it is having to share the spoils with other Opposition parties.
“And in particular, the one niggle the Labour Party will really have I think about these results if it continues is that yes, the swing in the local elections is almost what you would expect from the national polls but not quite,” he cautioned.
The complete election tally will be clear only by Friday night but the overall picture for large parts of England seems to be a move away from the Sunak-led Conservatives, largely seen as a reaction to the crippling cost-of-living crisis facing the country.
The Labour Party would have a nine-point lead over the Conservatives based on today’s results, if all of Britain voted, according to a BBC projection.
The term for Parliament is five years. As the current Parliament first met on December 17, 2019, it will be automatically dissolved on December 17, 2024. Thus, the next UK general election is not due until January 2025.
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#Rishi #Sunak #admits #disappointing #electoral #test #outcome
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

May 5, 2023
Remembering Rishi Kapoor: Food, family and wine define his world

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Mumbai: How could you define Rishi Kapoor? A sparkling Kapoor prodigy, a versatile actor who explored different genres till cancer grips him, a sharp tongue who used to call ‘spade’ a ‘spade’? The second son of Raj Kapoor was an absolute chocolate boy during his initial days and used to enjoy female attention a lot.
But as soon as he fell for his on-screen co-star Neetu Kapoor, a love story was born and continued till his last breath. Ahead of his third death anniversary, let’s remember the gorgeous Kapoor in vignettes of his family ties.
“Fond memories of Baisakhi day as we got engaged 43 years back on 13th April 1979. Baisakhi has a different connotation for Neetu and Rishi.”

In this frame, Rishi Kapoor is holding his granddaughter Samara Sahani.
This is the ultimate famjam picture. Rishi was accompanied by Neetu, son Ranbir, daughter Ridhima and granddaughter Samara.
Neetu Singh’s Instagram album is full of couple pictures. From the 70s to 2020s- the couple has seen different shades of marital life. This is a goofy picture where Neetu and Rishi exude love.
This is a major throwback picture where Rishi is enjoying the colour of festival.
This is a precious frame. In Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt’s Sangeet, Ranbir is holding a picture frame of his late father.

This is another famjam moment where Kapoor was accompanied by his teenage son and daughter.
If stories are to be believed, after being diagnosed with cancer, Rishi requested his doctor that he might allow him to have a sip of wine once a day.
Food, fun, family and wine…This was Rishi Kapoor’s world…
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#Remembering #Rishi #Kapoor #Food #family #wine #define #world
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 30, 2023
UK Parliament watchdog opens investigation into PM Rishi Sunak

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London: UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is being investigated by UK Parliament’s commissioner for standards over a potential breach of rules relating to the declaration of interests, understood to be related to his links to a childcare firm in which his wife is an investor, media reports said on Monday.
The Commissioner, Daniel Greenberg, opened an investigation into the Prime Minister on Thursday last week, an update on the Commissioner’s website said, The Guardian reported.
The entry says only that it relates to paragraph six of the updated code of conduct for MPs, which states they “must always be open and frank in declaring any relevant interest in any proceeding of the house or its committees”.

Sunak’s wife, Akshata Murty, is listed as a shareholder in Koru Kids, which is among six private childcare providers likely to benefit from a pilot scheme proposed in last month’s budget to incentivise people to become childminders, with 1,200 pounds offered to those who train through the agency, The Guardian reported.
On 28 March, Sunak did not mention his wife’s interest when speaking about the childcare changes before the liaison committee. He was asked by Labour MP Catherine McKinnell whether he had anything to declare. “No, all my disclosures are declared in the normal way,” he told McKinnell.
It later emerged that bosses from the company attended a Downing Street reception hours after Sunak’s committee appearance, The Guardian reported.
It is understood that McKinnell raised the issue with the commissioner.
Sunak does not list his wife’s shareholding on his register of interests as an MP, which MPs are required to update promptly.

Downing Street has argued that this is not necessary, because Sunak cited it on a separate register of ministerial interests. This, however, has not yet been published, as it is still being compiled by the new adviser on ministerial interests, Laurie Magnus, The Guardian reported.
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#Parliament #watchdog #opens #investigation #Rishi #Sunak
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 17, 2023
Survey indicates UK PM Rishi Sunak may benefit from undecided voters

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London: As England gears up for local elections next month, a new survey on Saturday indicates that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak may be poised to benefit somewhat from a swing towards the ruling Conservative Party from a large chunk of undecided voters.
Polling for The Times’ newspaper shows that almost a third of all voters either don’t know how they will cast their ballot or say they won’t vote at all.
Asked who would make the best Prime Minister between Sunak and Opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer, the YouGov analysis shows 21 per cent say Sunak while 8 per cent back Starmer.

“Undecideds are also almost four times more likely to trust Sunak and the Conservatives to handle the economy than they are to trust Labour, which in past elections has always been a good indicator of how people cast their ballot,” the newspaper analysis notes.
The survey, just weeks before the May 4 polling for local councils, shows that if an election were to be held tomorrow the “don’t knows” would be the UK’s third largest party with 16 per cent of the vote and 2 percent behind the Tories.
“Tory and Labour strategists acknowledge that this group presents both the biggest opportunity to Sunak and the biggest threat to Starmer’s hopes of a healthy Labour majority when the general election comes.
On the positive side for the Tories, at the moment this group seems to be leaning towards Sunak,” the newspaper poll analysis reads.
A local election coming around a year before a general election is due to be held is seen as a sign of things to come for all parties in the UK.

Based on their own internal polling, the Conservative Party strategists reportedly believe that the percentage of the electorate which is up for grabs is between 30 and 40 per cent. They hope that, as the general election gets closer, this group will ultimately end up backing Sunak.
“The parallel is 2014 when the Tories were six points behind in the polls but [Tory leader David] Cameron was significantly outpolling [Labour leader] Ed Miliband as best prime minister,” a senior figure in the Conservative campaign told The Times’.
“When it came to the election in 2015 those voters came to us because of who they thought would make the best prime minister. But it’s going to be a long time before that shows up in headline voting intention,” the source added, with reference to David Cameron going on to be elected Prime Minister in 2015.
The Labour Party, however, holds an overall 18-point poll lead over the governing Tories.
An average of all polls by the website Politico shows that while Sunak has substantially improved the party’s position since predecessor Liz Truss’ brief time at Downing Street, the Tories still face an uphill task to win over voters in time for the next general election.
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#Survey #Rishi #Sunak #benefit #undecided #voters
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 15, 2023
Rishi Sunak’s wife set to earn huge dividend income from Infosys

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Rishi Sunak’s wife, Akshata Murty, is set to earn a huge dividend income from Infosys, India’s second-largest IT firm. Murty, who is the daughter of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy, held 3.89 crore shares of Infosys at the end of December, according to company filings with the stock exchanges. The company declared a final dividend of Rs 17.50 per share for FY23, and if Murty retains her shareholding until the record date of June 2, she would receive Rs 68.17 crore.
Together with an interim dividend of Rs 16.50 per share declared in October last year, she would receive a total of Rs 132.4 crore. For the previous fiscal, Infosys paid a total of Rs 31 per share dividend, giving her a total of Rs 120.76 crore. At Thursday’s closing price of Rs 1,388.60 per share on the BSE, her holding is worth just over Rs 5,400 crore.
Nationality of Rishi Sunak’s wife Akshata Murty is a divisive issue in UK
While Rishi Sunak is a British national, his wife Akshata is an Indian citizen, and her non-domiciled status, which allows her to earn money abroad without paying taxes in Britain for up to 15 years, has been a divisive issue in the UK. Her non-domiciled status became an issue of discussion in Britain when Sunak first entered the race to become the prime minister in April last year.

Akshata was born in her mother Sudha Murty’s hometown of Hubballi in northern Karnataka, and did her schooling in Bengaluru, before moving to Claremont McKenna College in California, where she graduated with a dual major in economics and French. She then did a fashion designing diploma from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles, followed by a short work stint at Deloitte and Unilever. She thereafter pursued her MBA at Stanford where she met Rishi Sunak.
The two married in 2009 and currently live in a 7-million-pound townhouse in Kensington. Rishi Sunak and his wife also own a flat in Kensington, a mansion in Rishi’s Yorkshire constituency, and a penthouse in California.
Infosys dividend
Infosys is among the best dividend-paying companies in India, and according to Infosys filings, the promoters hold 13.11 per cent of the company. Of this, the Murthy family owns 3.6 per cent, with Narayana Murthy holding 0.40 per cent stake, his wife Sudha 0.82 per cent, son Rohan 1.45 per cent, and daughter Akshata 0.93 per cent. Other promoters include co-founder S Gopalakrishnan, Nandan M Nilekani, and S D Shibulal and their families.
On Thursday, the company disclosed that it had closed FY23 with a higher net profit of Rs 24,108 crore, earning a revenue of Rs 146,767 crore for FY23 against Rs 121,641 crore in the previous year and a net profit of Rs 24,108 crore against Rs 22,146 crore in the previous year.
As of March 31, 2023, Infosys had a headcount of 343,234 employees, up from 314,015 employees in the previous year.

With inputs from agencies
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#Rishi #Sunaks #wife #set #earn #huge #dividend #income #Infosys
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 14, 2023
UK PM Rishi Sunak creates new taskforce to go after ‘vile’ child abusers

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London: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday vowed to do whatever it takes as he condemned the political correctness which has prevented action against “vile” criminals behind the sexual abuse of children and young women and launched a new taskforce to go after such gangs.
Sunak’s announcement comes a day after his Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, said that the perpetrators of such crimes are “groups of men, almost all British Pakistani”, but that authorities have turned a “blind eye to these signs of abuse out of political correctness, out of fear, of being called racists, out of fear, of being called bigoted”.
Asked about the ethnicity of the criminals during a visit to Rochdale one of the cities with a history of British Pakistani grooming gangs, Sunak told reporters: “All forms of child sexual exploitation carried out by whoever are horrific and wrong”.

“But with the specific issue of grooming gangs, we have had several independent inquiries look at the incidents here in Rochdale, but in Rotherham and Telford. What is clear is that when victims and other whistle-blowers came forward, their complaints were often ignored by social workers, local politicians, or even the police. The reason they were ignored was due to cultural sensitivity and political correctness. That is not right,” he said.
The new Grooming Gangs Taskforce launched by the British Indian leader will involve specialist officers parachuted in to assist police forces with live child sexual exploitation and grooming investigations for tougher action against those who groom children for sexual abuse.
“The safety of women and girls is paramount. For too long, political correctness has stopped us from weeding out vile criminals who prey on children and young women. We will stop at nothing to stamp out these dangerous gangs,” said Sunak, adding in a tweet later that he will do “whatever it takes to root out evil grooming gangs who prey on vulnerable women and young girls”.
Led by the police and supported by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), Downing Street says the taskforce will be made up of officers with extensive experience in undertaking grooming gang investigations.
They will provide crucial support to forces across the country to root out grooming gangs and put more perpetrators behind bars. Data analysts will work alongside the task force using cutting-edge data and intelligence to identify the types of criminals who carry out these offences, including police-recorded ethnicity data.

“This will include better data on the make-up of grooming gangs, including ethnicity, to make sure suspects cannot hide behind cultural sensitivities as a way to evade justice,” Downing Street said.
The Opposition Labour Party has warned the government against overly focussing on the ethnicity of the grooming gangs.
“Ethnicity is important and nothing should get in the way of investigating and prosecuting child sexual exploitation. But if you look at the overall figure that is, you know, a relatively small element of it,” Labour Party Leader Keir Starmer told reporters.
Besides the new taskforce, the UK government has also announced “mandatory reporting” for adults working with children if they suspect or identify that a child is being abused. Mandatory Reporting was one the key recommendations in an important Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.
“The protection of children is a collective effort. Every adult must be supported to call out child sexual abuse without fear,” said Braverman.
“And the despicable abusers must be brought to justice. They should not be able to hide. And they must face the full force of the law for their crimes. That’s why I’m introducing a mandatory reporting duty and launching a call for evidence. We must address the failures identified by the Inquiry and take on board the views of the thousands of victims and survivors who contributed to its findings,” she said.
Over the weekend, she had described the issue as one of the biggest scandals that had been left unchallenged for too long.
“What we’ve seen is a practice whereby vulnerable, white, English girls, sometimes in care, sometimes who are in challenging circumstances, being pursued and raped and drugged and harmed by gangs of British Pakistani, men who’ve worked in child abuse rings or networks,” she told Sky News’.
Alongside the new taskforce and mandatory reporting consultation process, the UK government has also pledged to make sure grooming gang members and their ring leaders receive the toughest possible sentences.
The legislation will be introduced to make being the leader of or involved in a grooming gang a statutory aggravating factor during sentencing.
“Grooming gangs are a scourge on our society and I want to send a clear message to anyone who exploits vulnerable children that they will face the full weight of the law,” said UK Justice Secretary Dominic Raab.
The British government said it is also bolstering support for the children’s charity National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) which runs a whistleblowing helpline and a public helpline, giving professionals and members of the public avenues to raise concerns about children, or about child grooming in their community.
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#Rishi #Sunak #creates #taskforce #vile #child #abusers
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 3, 2023
UK PM Rishi Sunak aware’ of security review at Indian mission in London

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London: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is aware of India’s security concerns following violent clashes at its mission in London and a security review is underway, Downing Street said on Thursday.
The security review was announced by UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly in a statement last week following windows being smashed and the tricolour being attacked by pro-Khalistan flag-waving protesters at India House.
The UK Foreign Office has since been leading on this review of the security at the diplomatic mission, along with the Metropolitan Police.
“Discussions are being led by the Foreign Office with our police in the UK and our Indian counterparts. The Prime Minister hasn’t been involved directly but he is aware of them [discussions],” Prime Minister Sunak’s spokesperson told PTI at a Downing Street briefing.
Asked if the issue is likely to impact the ongoing India-UK free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations, which are now in their eighth round of talks, the spokesperson added: “The two issues are unconnected and the trade talks with India continue. Both sides want to see an enhanced relationship between our two countries.
“On security, we expressed our concerns about the scenes we saw outside the High Commission and a review is underway.”
It came as the latest set of protests outside India House in London are expected over three days until Saturday, with a demonstration also planned outside the Indian Consulate in Birmingham on Sunday.
There has been a very visible Met Police presence around the Indian High Commission in London since the violent disorder on March 19, with protesters now confined behind barricades across the street from the mission premises.

During a planned demonstration there last Wednesday, protesters hurled coloured flares and water bottles towards the mission. They have since taken to social media to allege that the objects were hurled by the Indian mission instead, allegations which have been countered by India House.
India had registered a strong protest with the UK government and the issue was also raised in the House of Commons.
It followed UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly’s statement to condemn the “unacceptable” acts of violence and an assurance to conduct a security review.
“We will always take the security of the High Commission, and all foreign missions in the UK, extremely seriously, and prevent and robustly respond to incidents such as this,” said Cleverly.
Meanwhile, government ministers have also been holding talks with Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami to reiterate plans to review the security measures at India House.
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#Rishi #Sunak #aware #security #review #Indian #mission #London
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 30, 2023
IMF Projects UK Economy to Keep Shrinking as Rishi Sunak Marks 100 Days in Office

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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak marked 100 days in office last month. The International Monetary Fund and UK economists predicted that the UK economy would continue to shrink, despite the PM’s best efforts to stabilize the country’s markets.
The same report predicted that China and India’s economies would account for more than half of GDP growth and stated that the UK would be the only country with an economy in recession this year. Experts expect that there will be a 0.06% overall reduction in the UK economy this year, and various cabinet members are citing several reasons for the shrinkage.
In February, their independent Office Of Budget Responsibility warned that the recession would last at least through 2023. The UK’s economic situation is deteriorating over many factors, including the increased price of heating, gas, and oil due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the fallout from Brexit, and the fact that the country’s economy never quite recovered after Covid-19 shutdowns.
Additionally, annual inflation hit 11.1% in October and stayed at 10.5% in December, the highest in four decades. It is important to note that the overall GDP increased by 4% in 2022. However, the UK remains the only G-7 country not to recover its output after the pandemic fully.
While Sunak blames outside forces like the Russian invasion, other experts point the finger at Brexit, which has caused much lower trade exports with the rest of Europe. The British PM focuses on expanding trade with other countries, including India. Over the last year, the UK and India have had six rounds of talking over trade and investment agreements that would boost trade by billions of dollars in both countries. While this much-needed trade agreement will help boost the economy overall, the UK has a long way to go before the government can quell its economic woes.
As with any recession, unemployment is up, and so is inflation, further infuriating labourers, who have already organized dozens of strikes – which conservatives in the government blame for some of the economic stagnation. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the UK recorded the highest number of working days lost in over 30 years in 2022. Transportation, teaching, and healthcare industries have been the most affected. With inflation continuing to rise, workers demand better conditions and higher pay. While some contracts have been negotiated, the strikes will continue as the Prime Minister and this government refuse to budge on pay raises in the public sector. Earlier in February, over half a million teachers, train drivers, and other civil servants organized a walkout, the largest coordinated labour strike in a decade.
As the labour unions persist, members of Sunak’s own party immediately proposed a round of tax cuts, which they promise will stimulate the economy, especially job growth. Sunak has so far refused either party, saying that raising pay for workers will cause inflation to rise and that the “best tax cut right now is a cut in inflation.”
As the workers who have jobs walk out due to economic inequality, employment is falling across the private and public sectors, which economists predict will continue into 2023. This creates its own concerns. As residents fail to believe in the country’s economy, the black market economy always sees a boost. Currently, the UK is already dealing with the black gambling market. Numerous offshore casino sites that aren’t under UK regulations and therefore, not a part of GamStop, and are currently not being taxed. Increasing illegal goods/services and off-the-books jobs is another worry for lawmakers as small businesses try to avoid taxation. According to a report published by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), these black market businesses cost the UK over 150 billion euros every day, says a report published by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA). Of course, this is a problem all over the EU, where over 30 million people work or run businesses without paying taxes.

The rising cost of imports, like food and energy, has particularly alarmed families across the UK. In combination with rising inflation, it caused a curb on spending, leaving the country in a loop where they can’t quite stimulate new growth. With nothing in the works to address those families, Sunak’s government has instead focused on new trade with Ireland and India in recent weeks. A dispute over trade routes in Northern Ireland has added to rising costs and completely shuttered Belfast’s government, which Sunak seeks to alleviate. The PM says some progress has been made, but any concessions will likely anger his own party.
With two years left until reelection season and crushing economic predictions, Rishi Sunak will have a long fight ahead of him if he stands a chance of keeping his position. While Sunak is downplaying the role of Brexit, which he has been a long-time supporter of, many across the country are now finding that the economic fallout deeply affects every corner of the economy. With decreased foreign investment after the event, European and American companies have continued to resist investment opportunities in the UK.
Instability in the economy is the number one reason many companies pulled their investments. Then, last year, Liz Truss produced several (now abandoned) unpopular plans to cut taxes, which angered critics and caused further divestment. As she left her very short-term, most investors pulled out again, causing the economy to plummet. Though this up-and-down has remained chiefly quiet as Sunak’s continued leadership is once again signalling that it may be safe for foreign companies to reinvest, these new economic reports may further deter this.
In current opinion polls, the Conservative party is trailing the Labour Party by about 20 points, and some election experts are already predicting Sunak’s defeat. With local elections looming in May and polls showing a disgruntled populace that wants a change in leadership, the UK’s economy may not recover as quickly as the country’s leadership hopes.

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( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

March 22, 2023