Sunak launches defense of Tories’ 14 years in power as campaign nears end | General elections 2024

Britain is better off than it was 14 years ago, Rishi Sunak has claimed, launching a combative defense of his party’s record in power just four days before the election.

In what polls suggest will be his final Sunday morning interview as prime minister, Sunak defended his party’s achievements since 2010, saying the country’s recent economic problems were a result of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

He told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg: “(This) is a better place to live than in 2010. Of course, I understand that the last few years have been difficult for everyone – we had a once-in-a-century pandemic, followed by a war in “Ukraine that raised everyone’s bills and of course that has been difficult for everyone.”

He added: “It has been difficult but we are now on the right path with the prospect of further tax cuts to give people more financial security and that is the key choice for people in this election, to build on the progress we have made. accomplished”.

Asked if Britain had lost any of its international prestige since Brexit, Sunak said: “People are queuing up to work with us because they respect what we do. I just completely reject it. “This kind of declinist narrative that people have about the UK is completely incorrect, I reject it wholeheartedly.”

Sunak’s words contrast with the relatively bleak picture painted by much of the economic data on what has happened in the UK since 2010.

Figures from the Institute for Fiscal Studies show growth has never recovered its pre-2008 trend, leaving each person on average £10,900 worse off as a result. Real wages have shown almost no growth since 2010, while business investment is well below its pre-Brexit level.

There has been better economic news in recent weeks, with inflation falling to 2% and growth starting to pick up once again. Sunak has sought to build his campaign around those early signs of recovery, along with warnings about possible tax rises under a Labour government.

Kuenssberg confronted him with a series of messages from viewers suggesting, however, that his message had fallen flat with voters. One person asked: “Why is nothing working in this country?” and another, named Sheila, said: “Our biggest concern is not taxes. It’s about having the basics.”

Sunak responded: “Of course it has been very difficult when inflation rises to the highest level we have seen in decades, when energy bills double due to the war in Ukraine, of course that has an impact on Sheila and everyone. others, and that is why I am working so hard to provide financial security for people.”

Over the past five weeks, Labour has maintained its 20-point lead in the polls, although both major parties have fallen and the Reform Party and Liberal Democrats have gained ground. Sir John Curtice, a professor of politics at Strathclyde University, said on Sunday: “Polls, on average, give the[Conservatives]just 100 seats, while Labour could win a record 450.”

Sunak’s campaign has been beset by gaffes, from his rain-soaked early election announcement, to his decision to pull out of D-Day commemorations early, to more recent revelations about bets by close associates on the election date.

However, on Sunday he insisted he was proud of the campaign he and his party have run. He said: “This campaign has highlighted the fact that a Labor government is going to raise everyone’s taxes and they are not being honest with everyone about it, and I am proud of that.”

During that period, the prime minister has largely enjoyed the unconditional backing of conservative-leaning newspapers, but on Sunday the Sunday Times became the first Murdoch-controlled publication to switch from the Tories to Labour, saying in an editorial: “We cannot carry on as we are and we believe that now is the right time for Labour to be entrusted with the task of restoring competence to government.”

The Sun and Times are expected to back him this week, in moves that could give a crucial late boost to Labour’s campaign.