Rishi Sunak struck a cautious note with his first New Year message as British Prime Minister on Saturday as he warned that the UK's problems won't go away in 2023, at the end of a “tough” 12 months.
The 42-year-old Indian-origin leader, who took charge as the UK's Prime Minister towards the end of October following turmoil within the ruling Conservative Party, recalled his inaugural address on the steps of 10 Downing Street to reiterate his promise to work “relentlessly" on the things that matter.
"I'm not going to pretend that all our problems will go away in the New Year," said Sunak. “But 2023 will give us the opportunity to showcase the very best of Britain on the world stage…defending freedom and democracy wherever we find it under threat," he said.
He highlighted the "barbaric" war in Ukraine as one of the dominating challenges ahead. “Just as we recovered from an unprecedented global pandemic, Russia launched a barbaric and illegal invasion across Ukraine," he said in the video message."This has had a profound economic impact around the world, which the UK is not immune to. Now, I know many of you have felt that impact at home.
That's why this government has taken difficult but fair decisions to get borrowing and debt under control. And it's because of those decisions that we've been able to help the most vulnerable with the rising cost of energy bills," he said.
In his New Year message, Sunak went on to promise that the "very best of Britain" will be on display in the coming months as he pledged continuing support for Ukraine and pitched King Charles III's coronation on May 6 as a unifying force for the country.