MOSCOW, 2 Jan. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has faced a number of serious problems in the coming year, writes The Daily Mail tabloid.
Earlier in his New Year's speech, the British leader said that London would continue to support «Ukrainian friends» in the fight against «cruel Putin's actions. At the same time, Sunak noted that the authorities will put the priorities of the British first.
According to the publication, Sunak made an appeal to fellow party members with an appeal «the struggle begins now,» promising to build a country that descendants will be proud of. However, according to the Daily Mail, Sunak «faced a horrific reality.»
The first challenge for the British leader was the «catastrophic» revelation of the head doctor of the local ambulance, who said that due to failures in departments, up to 500 patients die every week. «The second blow was that, according to official figures, a record 45,756 migrants crossed the English Channel last year, despite huge efforts by ministers to try to stop human smuggling,» the newspaper emphasizes.
In addition, railway unions are once again preparing to stage transport strikes, and this at a time when the country is threatened with more protests from nurses and ambulance personnel.
On top of all this, problems such as soaring inflation and a crisis in the cost of living remain, concludes Daily Mail.
The West has stepped up sanctions pressure on Russia because of Ukraine. The disruption of supply chains has driven up fuel and food prices in Europe and the US. In the UK, the rising cost of living has hit millions of households. The UK Financial Services Authority previously reported that around 32 million UK residents (60% of adults) are struggling to pay their bills amid high inflation and record cost of living increases.
The Bank of England raised its benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points — up to 3.5% from 3%. The regulator also said that the UK economy has entered a recession, which is expected to last all of 2023 and the first half of 2024. Annual inflation in the UK in November amounted to 10.7%.