Rishi Sunak tells the country “now is the time to look forward” as he promises to put money back in people’s pockets.
The Prime Minister says it is time to “move on” from the high tax, high spend, high borrowing covid era to build a brighter future for the nation.
Mr Sunak vows he will take the right decisions, not the easy ones now inflation has fallen dramatically since its punishing double digit high.
But he warns Labour will put the hard work at risk with £28 billion of unfunded spending plans.
Writing in the Daily Express, Mr Sunak said: “We’ve got to move on from the spending, high borrowing, high tax approach that was necessary to get us through Covid and the energy crisis.
“Now is the time to look forward.
“To do the right thing, not the easy thing – for pensioners and for everyone in our country.
“To take long-term decisions to build a brighter future.
“And only this government has the right plan to do that.”
Rishi Sunak clashes with BBC radio 4 presenter on taxation
In a moving reflection on his own upbringing, Mr Sunak told how he owes “everything” to his family upbringing.
His parents Yashvir and Usha met when they migrated to the UK, with his father becoming an NHS GP and while his ran a local pharmacy.
“They overcame huge odds to give our family a better future,” he said.
Mr Sunak said every family will have their own stories of sacrifice.
“Whatever it is – we owe our pensioners an enormous debt of gratitude,” he added.
“And I believe the measure of a good society is how we treat our elders.”
The PM insisted tackling inflation was the right priority this year as it piles the heaviest burden on those who struggle most.
Last month he met one of his five pledges – halving inflation – when it dropped from 11 per cent in January to 4.6 per cent.
Mr Sunak said it will ease pressure on shopping bills and mortgage rates.
“This hasn’t happened by accident,” he added.
“It’s the result of difficult decisions we’ve taken to be responsible with the public finances.
“And there’s more we need to do to keep inflation falling.
“But while the job is not yet done – I believe we can now change gear.”
He highlighted how that will begin with the biggest package of tax cuts since the 1980s from next month (JAN).
National insurance is being reduced by two per cent, which will save someone earning £35,000 more than £450.
Mr Sunak warned that his plan to put the economy back on track after the shocks it suffered from covid and the invasion of Ukraine will be put at risk under Sir Keir Starmer.
He said: “First cut inflation, then cut taxes – that’s always been my mantra.
“But contrast our approach with the Labour party.
“They want to spend £28 billion every year without any plan on how to pay for it.
“And we all know what that will mean – higher taxes for families across the county, putting at risk all the progress we’ve made, and take our country backwards.”
- Support fearless journalism
- Read The Daily Express online, advert free
- Get super-fast page loading
Source: Read Full Article