(London) The new British Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak decided on Wednesday to postpone until mid-November the presentation of long-awaited budgetary measures to end the financial turbulence caused by the short-lived previous government.
Posted at 7:14 a.m.
The third head of government of the United Kingdom in 50 days, who will face the opposition in Parliament for the first time on Wednesday noon, takes control of Downing Street against the backdrop of a serious social crisis caused by soaring prices. The economic backdrop deteriorated further when former Prime Minister Liz Truss’ promises of massive, unfunded tax cuts sent markets into a panic in September, sending the pound plunging and interest rates soaring. interest.
To calm the storm, the experienced Jeremy Hunt had been called to the Ministry of Finance and had already returned to most of the measures announced. He was to present next Monday a budget plan intended in particular to reassure on the long-term stability of public finances.
Reappointed to his post on Tuesday, Mr. Hunt announced on television, after the first meeting of the new council of ministers after having agreed with Rishi Sunak, that it would be “prudent” to postpone this presentation on November 17.
“I want to confirm that it will demonstrate that the debt will decrease in the medium term,” said the Chancellor. “But it is also extremely important that this presentation is based on the most accurate economic forecasts and public finance forecasts possible. »
Opposition wants elections
According to the British press, Rishi Sunak, an ex-banker and ex-finance minister who had himself warned of the harmful consequences of Liz Truss’ program during the summer, wants to get personally involved in the preparation of these measures, whereas that a return of austerity is feared.
The new Prime Minister warned on Tuesday that ‘tough decisions’ would be needed in the face of the economic crisis and promised to ‘fix’ the ‘mistakes’ of Liz Truss, who left Downing Street after 49 days in office, a term of unprecedented brevity.
The Labor opposition, well ahead in the polls, calls for early elections almost every day, without waiting for the end of 2024 or the beginning of 2025 as planned, denouncing the policy of the Conservatives who “have torn the economy to pieces”.
According to an Ipsos poll published on Monday, 62% of voters want such an election before the end of 2022.
Will of Unity
Rishi Sunak excludes a recourse to the polls, certainly devastating for the conservative majority in power for 12 years. He is trying to put the pieces of a very divided party back together after months of scandals and political and economic turbulence.
Unlike Liz Truss who had composed a government with loyal figures, he recalled the government to the barons of his party, including supporters of the one who preceded him or of Boris Johnson.
Dominic Raab – a close ally of Mr. Sunak – meanwhile regained his role as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice which he had to abandon after the resignation of Boris Johnson.
Suella Braverman, appointed Minister of the Interior in September by Liz Truss and who had resigned last Wednesday, is also returning to her post. Influential in the right wing of the party, she has a very tough position on immigration.
In the midst of the war in Ukraine, Defense Ministers Ben Wallace and Foreign Affairs Minister James Cleverly also kept their portfolios.
the DailyMail praised “a cabinet of unity” and described Mr. Sunak’s performance as “worthy of a statesman”. It’s “the calm after the storm – we hope so”, it is written.
the Times believes that most of the ministers chosen have “demonstrated competence in the discharge of their duties” and that the first day of Rishi Sunak “gives a sense of seriousness”.
“Meanwhile, in the real world,” headlines the tabloid The Mirror, which gives voice to Britons hard hit by inflation, which exceeds 10%.
Internationally, Rishi Sunak is still inexperienced. On Tuesday, he spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and assured him of the “unwavering support” of the United Kingdom in the face of the Russian invasion. He also spoke by telephone with US President Joe Biden.