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'It's not opposition questions': Hoyle scolds Sunak over NHS remarks during PMQs
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Rishi Sunak delivered his first broadcast to the nation in 2023, and judging by the reactions of social media it might not have had the effect he was looking for.
The Prime Minister spoke about the cost of living crisis, the NHS and immigration during the short address which aired on Wednesday night (January 11).
Sunak said: “I know this has been a tough winter. Our country faces some of the biggest challenges that anyone has seen in a lifetime- with our economy, NHS, and borders.”
“Three months ago, I was brought in to fix those challenges and now I want to give you a full update on our progress. Like many countries, the UK faces profound economic challenges. Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine saw all our energy prices rocket.”
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He added: “That’s why when I first entered office, we took difficult but fair decisions to get our debt and borrowing under control, which will help us to reduce inflation and ease the cost of living.”
Speaking about the NHS, he then said: “Those difficult decisions also allowed us to get NHS record results. More funding, more doctors, more nurses. Every family is worried about getting the NHS care they need for themselves, their parents, grandparents or children.
“Covid has done huge harm to the NHS. It has created a massive backlog which we are working through. Britain’s heroic response to Covid shows that where the political will to really grip a problem, we can bring everyone together and achieve the unthinkable.
“My dad was a doctor and my mum was a pharmacist, this is personal for me and I am determined to get the number of people on the waiting list falling and I will not let you down.”
Then, he went on to discuss immigration, saying: “It’s simply not right that people come here illegally. It’s unfair for those who follow the rules, on those who really deserve our help, and above all, it’s unfair on British taxpayers. It must stop.
The PM address the nation on Wednesday nightRishi Sunak
“Under my Government, it will stop. We are taking decisive action already to deploy hundreds of agents to tackle immigration criminals, putting an end to the appalling situation where taxpayers are paying to keep illegal migrants in hotels and we are introducing new laws that make it unambiguously clear that if you come to our country illegally, you will not have the right to stay and be removed.
“Britain will always be a place for global talent and those in dire need. But basic human decency must be accompanied by hard-headed common sense.”
The speech, and the manner in which he delivered it, has come under fire on social media.
First off, hearing the husband of a billionaire say he ‘knows it’s been a tough winter’ seems in the very first line of a speech feels a little rich - no pun intended.
These are some of the biggest reactions on Twitter after the speech aired on Wednesday.
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