No 10 is unable to commit to any of the pledges Rishi Sunak made as part of his campaign to become the next prime minister. Downing Street has confirmed that it is reviewing every single one of the proposals made by the former chancellor.
The new PM's pledges need to be assessed to see if they are still “deliverable” in the current economic climate, according to his official spokesperson. Mr Sunak's press secretary said the economic situation had changed since the initial campaign over the summer, which resulted in Liz Truss' appointment as Tory leader.
Asked today if every leadership pledge Mr Sunak made was now up for review, the No 10 spokesperson said: “We are looking at all the campaign pledges and we are looking at whether it is the right time to take them forward. We need to take some time to make sure what is deliverable and what is possible, and engaging with stakeholders and with the relevant secretaries of state as well."
They added: “Obviously, those are pledges that were made a few months ago now and the context is somewhat different, obviously, economically. We need to look again.”
Mr Sunak has already u-turned on some of the pledges made. He has scrapped plans to fine patients £10 for missing GP and hospital appointments and reimposed the ban on fracking despite signalling some support for the measure over summer.
He has also repeatedly been pressed about whether he will commit to increasing welfare payments in line with inflation and keeping the triple lock on pensions, but has refused to comment on his plans ahead of the budget.
Today, Mr Sunak changed his mind about attending the Cop27 summit in Egypt, deciding that he would attend after previously suggesting he was too busy dealing with the economic issues the UK is facing. No 10 said he had changed his mind because he is making “good progress” with chancellor Jeremy Hunt on this month’s autumn statement.
Meanwhile, facing Sir Keir Starmer at PMQs in the Commons this afternoon, Mr Sunak defended the government's record on immigration. The Labour leader told the PM he needed to “start governing for once and get a grip” of the UK’s “broken” asylum system.
Sir Keir urged the PM to replace Suella Braverman with a “proper home secretary” and scrap the “gimmick” of trying to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda. Mr Sunak acknowledged there is a “serious and escalating problem” connected to migration but insisted Ms Braverman is taking “significant steps” in response.
Around 40,000 migrants have crossed the Channel so far this year, with Ms Braverman being criticised for describing the situation on the south coast of England as an “invasion”. She has also admitted that the “system is broken” and “illegal migration is out of control”.
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