London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Oct 12, 2026

Rishi Sunak grilled over tax rises, spending cuts and small boat crossings

Rishi Sunak grilled over tax rises, spending cuts and small boat crossings

Another trip, another prime minister.
I've been the BBC's political editor for six months, but this is the first overseas trip I've done where the prime minister travelling is the same as the one on my previous trip.

In June, I travelled with Boris Johnson to the G7 Summit in Germany and the Nato summit in Spain. In September, it was Liz Truss travelling to the United Nations in New York.

And then, last week, Rishi Sunak did his first foreign visit as prime minister, to the COP27 climate summit in Egypt.

I now type these words during a brief, middle-of-the-night refuelling stop in Dubai, ahead of another 10 hours in the air to Indonesia - and yes, Mr Sunak is with us as we head to the G20 summit in Bali.

Like many of us, he's changed out of his work clothes for something more comfortable - he's a fan of hoodies - for the long haul to the southern hemisphere.

The G20 is an economic forum where the long haul of reviving the global economy, given the consequences of the war in Ukraine, will dominate.

And so the economy frames the prime minister's week: the international picture from Monday to Wednesday in Bali, and then - with a spot of jet lag, no doubt - the Autumn Statement in Westminster on Thursday.

All the political talk is about that statement, now in just a few days' time.

What many will see as a bad news budget is highly likely to provoke the kind of rows within the Conservative Party and beyond that we haven't yet seen during Mr Sunak's time in No 10 - rows about whether the prime minister and the chancellor have made the right calls.

Already some on the right, both on the Tory backbenches and among the Conservative-leaning newspapers, are arguing tax rises and spending cuts are un-Conservative and risk making a bad situation worse.

The travelling press pack got to ask Mr Sunak about this on the first leg of this schlep out to Indonesia.

It happened in what is called a huddle, where the prime minister comes to the back of the plane, we all crowd around and he takes questions from each of us for the best part of 45 minutes, on any topic we can think of.

I know what you might be thinking reading about a load of reporters flying to the other side of the world with the prime minister: is it a bit cosy?

Well, all I can say is having a couple of dozen sceptically minded reporters surrounding the prime minister and asking whatever we like, including follow-ups, for rather a while - and then dissecting every syllable afterwards - feels like close scrutiny.

So, what did he say about the tax rises and spending cuts that are coming?

He claimed it was his approach that had meant "financial conditions in the UK had stabilised".

This was specifically because, he reckoned "people expect the government to take the decisions that will put our public finances on a sustainable trajectory, and it's the government's job to deliver on that".

To advocate anything else could lead to chaos, is the thrust of his argument, one some on the left and the right would take issue with.

But what he portrays as a necessity, others see as an economic choice.

There are Conservatives who think there should be more emphasis on spending cuts and less on tax rises, as well as a much greater focus on economic growth.

And there are the opposition parties who argue so much of what Mr Sunak and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt confront is a consequence of what they see as long term Conservative mismanagement of the economy.

The other main thing worth mentioning as this trip gets under way is the issue of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats.

The government is signing a new deal with France on Monday to try to stop people crossing in that way.

It will see the number of officers patrolling the French coast to try to stop people setting off rising from 200 to 300, with the UK paying France around £63m to fund it - an £8m increase on the current annual cost.

The prime minister sought to emphasise to us how important he sees it - and how much of his own time it has taken up.

"I've spent more time working on that than anything else, other than obviously the Autumn Statement, over the past couple of weeks," he told us.

The big question is whether what is being announced will make a noticeable difference. Home Secretary Suella Braverman has acknowledged the situation was "out of control."

The big test, then, is will these measures leave people with the impression the government is actually in control?
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
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
UK Announces New Sanctions on 17 Russia-Linked Entities During Foreign Secretary's Ukraine Visit
UK and Germany Finalize Kensington Treaty to Strengthen Defense and Technology Cooperation
Britain Maintains Diplomatic Mission in East Jerusalem Despite Israeli Closure Deadline
English Councils Push Government to Rethink Proposed Funding Cuts
Scottish Homebuilding Falls to Lowest Level in 11 Years
BBC Chief Matt Brittin Defends Restructuring as Staff Challenge Job Cuts
UK Finance Warns High Energy Costs and Bond Yields Are Complicating Fiscal Outlook
UK Adopts All 44 Recommendations on Regulating AI in Healthcare
Chancellor John Healey Prepares Autumn Budget as Borrowing Costs Strain Public Finances
UK Investigators See Strong Indications of Iranian Link After RAF Fairford Security Operation
Laura Trott Pledges Tighter Controls on Political Activism in UK Classrooms
Welsh Ministers Launch Long-Term Review of North Wales and Anglesey Crossings
Welsh Government Orders 18-Month Study of Road Solutions Around Newport
Reform UK MP Sarah Pochin Faces Scrutiny Over £800,000 Second Home Purchase
British Households Grow More Concerned About Fuel and Energy Prices
NHS Leaders Warn of Rising Winter Pressure on Emergency Departments
Kemi Badenoch Proposes £2.3 Billion Employer National Insurance Cut for Young Workers
Middle East Conflict Could Erase UK Fiscal Headroom, Economists Warn
Manchester City Found Guilty of Multiple Premier League Financial Rule Breaches
UK Security Services Find Strong Indications of Iranian Role in RAF Fairford Incident
Costa Coffee Returns to Operating Profit on Iced Drinks and Menu Changes
Asos Warns Customers After Unauthorized Access to Retail App and Data
Kemi Badenoch Puts Growth and Deregulation at Center of Conservative Conference
Campaigners Warn of Deepening Social Care Crisis for Disabled Adults
Study Finds Rising Early-Onset Cancer Rates Among Adults Under 50 in Britain
UK Coach Operators Warn High Diesel Prices Could Force Route Cuts
FCA Opens Independent Review Into Handling of Epstein-Linked Whistleblower Case
Argentina Vows to Block Falkland Islands Offshore Oil Development
UK Chancellor Prepares Fiscal Measures and Welfare Reforms Ahead of Autumn Budget
Sainsbury’s and Morrisons Explore Potential Multi-Billion-Pound Merger
UK Weighs Tariffs on Chinese Electric Vehicles to Align With European Union
UK Threatens Diplomatic Expulsions Over Planned Closure of East Jerusalem Consulate
UK Energy Price Cap Hits Three-Year High as Middle East Conflict Raises Costs
Seventh Arrest Made in Suspected Terror Plot at RAF Fairford
Systemic Education Collapse Sparks Mass Student Uprisings in France
Green Party Faces Backlash Over Resolution Equating Zionism With Racism
Conservatives Debate Scrapping Environmental Rules for New Homes
Cornwall Insight Warns UK Energy Bills Could Approach £2,000 This Winter
UK Coach Operators Warn of Service Cuts as Diesel Prices Exceed £2
Scottish Parliament Approves £68 Billion Budget With New Tax and Property Measures
FCA Opens Independent Review Into Handling of Epstein Whistleblower
UK Government Drops Plan to Suspend Jury Trials in England and Wales
Bank of England Holds Interest Rate at 3.75% as Markets Watch November
Two Iranian Nationals Charged Over Alleged Plot Targeting Manchester Jewish Community
UK Fiscal Headroom Halves to £11 Billion Ahead of Budget, EY Warns
US Bomber Withdrawal From RAF Fairford Prompts UK Security Review
×