We are now nearly a third of the way through 2023. Rishi unveiled his “five pledges” at the start of January, and claimed he “fully expect[s] you to hold my government and I to account” on meeting them. How’s he doing so far?
As a reminder, here are the pledges:
Inflation in the year to March has come in at 10.1%, an unexpectedly low dip of 0.3% since February. While the OBR forecasts inflation will fall to 2.9% by the end of the year, their prediction assumed inflation would fall below 10% by the end of March, so already we are behind target. As for growth, the economy only grew by 0.1% in the three months to February. In fact, the UK completely flatlined in February.
The debt, meanwhile, is rising and forecast to go up by another £13 billion in March. The NHS waiting list rose by 200,000 patients in the same month. In January, the number of illegal migrants detected in the channel was 1180; in April so far, it’s 1256 with another 11 days of the month to go. While Rishi has had some wins over the last few months, and the polls are closing, where is the evidence that he’s on track to meet his pledges? The tide needs to turn soon…
