Sunak vows personal responsibility if UK inflation not halved by year-end

Rishi Sunak has pledged to take personal responsibility if UK inflation has not been reduced by half by the end of the year. The prime minister made this statement during an interview with Sky News political editor Beth Rigby while visiting Washington DC, where he is scheduled to meet President Biden. Sunak has been vocal about his five priorities, which he claims are also the “people’s priorities.” These include halving inflation, growing the economy, reducing debt, cutting waiting lists, and stopping the boats.

In January, when inflation stood at 10.1%, Sunak promised to address price growth to alleviate the cost of living crisis. The latest data from the Office for National Statistics shows inflation has eased to 8.7%, but food inflation remains close to 20%, and core price inflation is at a 30-year high.

During the interview, Rigby asked Sunak if he would take personal responsibility for not achieving his goals of reducing inflation and bringing the UK out of recession by the end of the year. Sunak responded, “Of course it’s on me personally. I’m the prime minister. I’m the person who set out those five pledges to halve inflation, grow the economy, reduce debt, cut waiting lists, and to stop the boats, and I intend to deliver on those.”

Sunak also mentioned that the UK has already avoided the recession many had predicted and that growth forecasts are currently being upgraded. He announced a £14bn investment into the UK, which will support thousands of jobs, and highlighted progress in his boats plan, with crossings into the UK down by almost a fifth in the first five months of this year.

When asked if it would be a “dealbreaker” if he failed to deliver on his promises, Sunak said, “It’s absolutely my responsibility. I’ve told the public to hold me accountable. They should be able to have politicians who deliver what they say, and that’s what I intend to do.”

In response to a question about whether he would risk a recession to bring down inflation, as suggested by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt last week, Sunak did not deny the possibility. He said, “I think what the Chancellor was saying is that inflation is the challenge that we must confront. Obviously, monetary policy interest rates are a decision for the Bank of England, so it wouldn’t be right for me to comment on that.”