Is Sunak Delivering On Any Of His Five Pledges For 2023?

Six months after the prime minister set out his key priorities for 2023, Sean O'Grady tracks his progress, or lack of, so far

- Sean O'Grady

On 4 January 2023, at the London 2012 Olympic Park, the prime minister gave a speech on “building a better future” that set out his five priorities for the year ahead. At the time, many commentators felt that some of these would be easy to achieve, and few predicted abject failure across the board. Yet the latter is what seems to be happening.

Like the pledge he made on his first day in office - "This government will have integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level" - the five pledges on the economy, the NHS and migration are at risk of becoming an albatross around his neck.

So, as we approach the half-year mark, it seems a good moment to review Rishi Sunak's promise to build "a future that restores optimism, hope, and pride in Britain". (The precise text of the pledges is taken from the speech for the purposes of accuracy, rather than from the various bullet-point versions pumped out in the propaganda.)

'First, we will halve inflation this year to ease the cost of living and give people financial security'

The rarely mentioned second part of this most important pledge has certainly not been fulfilled. Such has been the unexpectedly steep rise in interest rates, and thus in mortgage bills and rents, many families are far from feeling secure. The chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, has succeeded in getting most lenders to exercise forbearance with distressed mortgage-holders, and has introduced a one-year moratorium on repossession evictions, but householders' financial confidence remains at a relatively low ebb.