London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Oct 18, 2026

Kuenssberg: Sunak is now hostage to his promises on childcare and small boats

Kuenssberg: Sunak is now hostage to his promises on childcare and small boats

"You can get a lot done in a week" - a snap from Rishi Sunak's oh-so-casually put-together social media feed shows him sitting on a bench, reading through his notes on the tarmac near a couple of parked-up fighter jets.

The stream of images is designed to show the world a few days of frenetic activity. Here I am with Joe Biden! Here I am at the Budget! Here I am working as hard as I can on your behalf!

During his first couple of months in charge Rishi Sunak's workaholic tendencies were applied to a set of acute and immediate problems - could he stop the turmoil in the Tory Party and the financial markets? Then, did he have a clear idea of what he wanted to get done?

He tried to answer that with his five pledges at the turn of the year. Allies say there's a "chipper mood" and a sense now he can start to focus on priorities he chooses, rather than mop up the mess of what happened before.

But here's the next challenge - can Rishi Sunak make what he has promised to voters a reality?

Carefully crafted social media images aim to show the world Rishi Sunak's frenetic activity


The Budget was, one government insider said, "all right, given we had no money". Budgets sometimes unravel in a mess in the days that follow them - remember George Osborne's "omnishambles", or Philip Hammond's breach of the Conservative manifesto on National Insurance rises that he had to ditch?

That hasn't happened this time. In fact, one former minister branded it a "snoozefest". But that doesn't mean it's trouble-free. The idea designed to catch the eye of most voters is also a massive logistical task.

Giving hard-pressed parents a lot more support sounds appealing and could make a practical difference to many voters' lives. From a purely political point of view it also has an allure for Tory HQ, because childcare was an issue where Labour was trying to make the running.

But what ministers have branded the "biggest-ever expansion on childcare" in England could be extremely hard to make happen. Nurseries have been closing in recent years, as they find it harder and harder to make childcare viable as a business.

Ministers are aware that it could be a stretch: that is why the changes are being phased in gradually. But if the promise of more gleaming nurseries, happy toddlers and less-stressed parents is not matched by reality, the government may be punished.

There's a strand of Conservative opinion uneasy with what amounts to another expensive expansion of the state.

And don't forget the big picture - the Budget pointed to the pressure on people's wallets, with living standards dropping and fears of a "lost decade". A big, expensive promise on childcare that's hard to keep doesn't erase that reality overnight.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt pledged a big increase in childcare, but nurseries have been closing


The prime minister has also piled huge amounts of political effort into ending the passage of migrants across the Channel.

The slogan, "Stop the Boats", even appears on his government lectern. This simple three-word phrase, lifted from Australia, has already become part of the political lexicon.

The home secretary has just touched down in Rwanda where she hopes to push on with efforts to have migrants who arrive in the UK sent there. Almost every time a government minister opens their mouth they mention the steps they are taking, more new laws that have just started to make their way through Parliament this week, notwithstanding the doubts expressed by some senior Conservatives, even Theresa May.

But keeping that vow to end the crossings will be extremely difficult. The courts soon have another say over the legality of sending new arrivals to Rwanda. The practicalities of where anyone detained will be housed are unclear.

Relations with France are on a much better footing with "le bromance" between Rishi Sunak and President Emmanuel Macron. But France has not signed up to a returns agreement. It is impossible to know if Rishi Sunak's promise will make very much difference.

A sceptic might suggest that ministers are aware of that, and being seen to make an effort also matters. The party's strong language on immigration also is a point of contrast with the Labour Party. Yet - just as with the big offer on free childcare - a promise made, but not kept, could be intensely damaging.

For a leader who favours under-promising and over-delivering, Rishi Sunak has set the government two very significant tasks, neither of which he can be sure of achieving. In the coming weeks, there'll be more - new measures to tackle anti-social behaviour, a push on green business, and possibly plans for local healthcare too.

The French president hailed a "moment of reconnection", but there was no deal on returning migrants across the Channel


His supporters reckon the prime minister now has his own momentum, an elusive element in politics that is hard to create. But there are banana skins that could cause the calm to slip in the coming days.

His old boss will be in front of MPs answering questions on the toxic mess of Partygate. Like it or not, Boris Johnson is a walking, talking headline-generator, who sucks up nearly all available political oxygen.

One minister told me the "'bring back Boris' brigade are more muted now", but his presence is always unpredictable and disruptive, a headache the current No 10 could do without.

More seriously, this week there is a vote on what the prime minister hailed as a genuine breakthrough, the Windsor Framework, to unpick the long-standing knot of the Northern Irish Protocol.

The Northern Irish unionists, the DUP, who have long objected to the effects the arrangements have, are yet to reveal exactly what they will do. They are not big in number, but their support - or lack of it - is fundamental to whether government can get up and running in Northern Ireland again.

For all that Rishi Sunak's allies and many Conservative MPs reckon his approach is starting to work, there's not much evidence of it in the polls, which remain stubbornly appalling for the Conservatives. But polls aren't real votes.

It's not long now until the prime minister faces the most important verdict of all and his first in the job - local elections at the ballot box in May. Then his promises, and the public's belief that he can keep them, will be put to the test for real.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth Confirms Constitutional Discussions Over Welsh Independence During Initial Bilateral Call with Prime Minister
Labour Party Instructs Local Council Groups to Sever Power-Sharing Accords with Green Party Over New Controversial Policy Positions
Institute for Fiscal Studies Warns of Thirty-Five Billion Pound Fiscal Gap Ahead of Chancellor John Healey Upcoming Autumn Budget
House of Lords Backs Landmark Legislative Amendment to Decriminalize Abortion Across England and Wales
United Kingdom Defence Secretary Wes Streeting Travels to Pentagon for High-Level Strategic Talks Amid Escalating Tensions Over Ukraine and United States Policy Shifts
Bank of England and International Monetary Fund Officials Issue Urgent Warnings Regarding Potential Artificial Intelligence Financial Market Shocks
Reform UK Faces Severe Political Fallout and Scrutiny After Undercover Media Investigations Reveal Systemic Racism Among Candidates
Former Democratic Unionist Party Leader Jeffrey Donaldson Sentenced to Fifteen Years in Prison Following Landmark Child Sexual Abuse Trial
House of Lords Votes to Amend Schools Bill Implementing Comprehensive Social Media Ban for Children Under Sixteen Years of Age
International Monetary Fund Upgrades United Kingdom Growth Forecast for Two Thousand Twenty-Six While Warning of Energy-Driven Inflation Pressures
Competition and Markets Authority Launches Formal Inquiry Into Corporate Artificial Intelligence Partnerships
Automotive Industry Leaders Urge Westminster to Accelerate Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Rollout
Home Office Expands Digital Border Security Framework With Mandatory Electronic Travel Authorizations Across United Kingdom
Northern Ireland Executive Reaches Final Consensus on Public Sector Pay Reform and Budget Allocations
Welsh First Minister Secures Additional Funding for Rural Agricultural Transition and Sustainable Farming Schemes
Scottish Government Unveils Accelerated Regional Infrastructure Strategy to Boost Clean Energy Manufacturing
National Health Service England Launches Emergency Recruitment Drive to Alleviate Severe Acute Care Winter Backlogs
Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee Signals Cautious Approach to Interest Rate Reductions Amid Persistent Wage Growth
British Government Finalizes Emergency Energy Support Package to Protect Households From Winter Price Surges
Russell Brand Trial Begins at Southwark Crown Court
UK Parliament to Debate Climate Risks and Council Tax Following Public Petitions
Department for Transport Demands Safety Audits Following Regional Rail Disruptions
House of Lords Scrutinizes Amendments to Armed Forces Bill
Devolved Administrations in Scotland and Wales Criticize Post-Brexit Funding Framework
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Defends Middle East Military Support Under Parliamentary Scrutiny
NHS Leaders Warn of Severe Pressure on Hospitals from Winter Virus Outbreaks
Retailers and Business Groups Lobby Chancellor for Relief from Rising Employment Taxes
City of London Taskforce Urges Radical Reform to Prevent UK From Becoming "Incubator Nation"
Bank of England Officials Signal Potential November Interest Rate Hike
Institute for Fiscal Studies Warns of £35 Billion Funding Gap in Upcoming Autumn Budget
IMF Upgrades UK Growth Forecast to 1.3% for 2026
Former UUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson sentenced to 15 years in prison for historical child sex offences
UK ministers adopt independent commission blueprint to fast-track AI in the NHS
Labour leadership orders local councillors to end power-sharing deals with Green Party
UK government considers regulatory intervention in proposed Sky and ITV merger
Environment Agency declares severe drought across six English regions as reservoirs hit critical lows
NHS England issues new guidance prohibiting transgender women from female-only wards
Norwegian teenager sentenced to 20 years for part of Iran-backed assassination plot in Britain
UK government threatens complete visa ban on Eritrea over refusal to accept deportees
UK Treasury lobbies UBS to move global headquarters to London amid banking sector tax threats
MI5 Warns of Growing Russian Sabotage and Espionage Threats Across Britain
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham Plans Brussels Talks to Renegotiate Post-Brexit Trade Deal
MI5 Warns of Rising Russian and Iranian Sabotage Threats to British Military Facilities
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham Pledges Closer EU Ties as MI5 Reveals Russian Brexit Interference
UK Orders Security Review Following Reported Killing of Former Politician Ann Widdecombe
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham Meets German Chancellor Merz to Strengthen European Security Ties
Nearly 100,000 NHS Patients Treated in Hospital Corridors as England Braces for Winter Pressures
UK Government Rejects US-Russia Diesel Agreement and Reaffirms Sanctions Against Moscow
UK and Germany Agree to Deepen Security and Economic Cooperation Following Berlin Talks
British Prime Minister Burnham Pledges Closer EU Ties During Visit to Germany
×