Sunak vs Starmer: The battle of the New Year’s speeches

By The New Statesman

The New Statesman | UK politics and culture

05/01/23·30m 9s

Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer welcomed in 2023 with speeches setting out their priorities for the year and beyond.

Anoosh Chakelian, Freddie Hayward and Rachel Cunliffe discuss Sunak’s five pledges and why he appears more Blue Peter presenter than prime minister. They also analyse Starmer’s embrace of a Brexit slogan with his promise to help voters “take back control” of their communities, why he is pitching to a new squeezed middle, and his reluctance to talk about big spending.

Then in You Ask Us a listener asks whether the Conservatives are running the NHS down on purpose so they can sell it off.

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Freddie Hayward writes Keir Starmer takes the fight to the Tories by stealing their slogans.

Zoë Grünewald writes Rishi Sunak's New Year speech showed how out of depth he is.

Anoosh Chakelian asks are the Conservatives "defunding" the NHS in order to privatise it?

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