Rishi Sunak warns Britons in New Year's message, says UK's problems won't go away in 2023

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has warned that the country's problems will not be resolved in 2023, in his New Year message. Rishi Sunak, who took office in October 2021 following the short-lived premiership of Liz Truss, acknowledged that the past year had been "tough" for the UK. He cited the economic impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as major challenges facing the country.

"Just as we recovered from an unprecedented global pandemic, Russia launched a barbaric and illegal invasion across Ukraine", Sunak said. "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," he added. "That's why this government has taken difficult but fair decisions to get borrowing and debt under control," he continued. 

Sunak says King Charles' coronoation will unite the nation 

Sunak promised to continue supporting Ukraine and predicted that the coronation of King Charles on May 6 would bring the nation together. He also highlighted the government's efforts to support the NHS with additional funding, doctors, and nurses, as well as efforts to tackle illegal migration and abuse of the asylum system. However, Sunak acknowledged that the problems facing the UK will not disappear in the coming year. "I'm not going to pretend that all our problems will go away in the new year," he said. "But 2023 is an opportunity to showcase the very best of Britain on the world stage."

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer also acknowledged that it had been a "very tough year" for the UK in his own New Year message. He called for a "new Britain" that would fix struggling public services and "grow the economy for everyone," and promised to "restore faith" in politics as a "force for good." Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey acknowledged that times were "tough," but said that the new year presented an opportunity for change and optimism. The UK has faced a number of challenges in the past year, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has claimed the lives of over 120,000 people in the country and caused widespread economic disruption. In addition, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia has had a profound economic impact on the UK, as well as on the global economy.