London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Jan 04, 2026

Rishi Sunak vows to fix Liz Truss's mistakes - but not his mistakes as a Chancellor - in first speech as PM

Rishi Sunak vows to fix Liz Truss's mistakes - but not his mistakes as a Chancellor - in first speech as PM

In his first speech as PM, Rishi Sunak vowed to restore trust and lead the UK through "a profound economic crisis" that he, as a Chancellor, created.

Rishi Sunak has pledged to fix "mistakes" made under Liz Truss's leadership and warned of "difficult decisions" ahead, in his first speech as prime minister.

He said he would restore trust, rebuild confidence and lead the UK through "a profound economic crisis".

Mr Sunak promised to deliver the manifesto that won the Conservatives a landslide election victory in 2019.

His speech outside No 10 came after he was appointed PM by King Charles.

The UK's first British Asian prime minister, Mr Sunak announced his cabinet this afternoon, after telling Tory MPs to unify or face electoral oblivion.

In major reshuffle, Dominic Raab returned as deputy PM, and Grant Shapps became business secretary, while Jeremy Hunt remained as chancellor.

A large majority of MPs backed Mr Sunak for the leadership and when his only remaining rival Penny Mordaunt withdrew, there was no need for a ballot of Tory members.

Following Mr Sunak's speech, opposition parties repeated their demand for an immediate general election and argued Mr Sunak had no mandate from the public.

Mr Sunak's effective coronation as Tory leader on Monday spelled the end of Ms Truss's turbulent premiership, just 49 days after she took office.

Ms Truss became prime minister after defeating Mr Sunak in a ballot of Tory members during the summer, winning over members with her tax-cutting economic agenda.

But her government was destabilised by political and economic turmoil, exacerbated by her mini-budget, whose package of unfunded tax cuts has mostly been ditched.

In her farewell speech, Ms Truss defended her economic policies and said her time as prime minister convinced her of the need to be "bold".

In his own speech, Mr Sunak paid tribute to his predecessors Boris Johnson and Ms Truss, saying she "was not wrong to want to improve growth in this country - it is a noble aim".

"But some mistake were made," Mr Sunak said. "Not born of ill will or bad intentions, quite the opposite, in fact. But mistakes nonetheless.

"I have been elected as leader of the party and as prime minister in part to fix them. And that work begins immediately."

Mr Sunak - who was chancellor until July this year - said he would place "economic componence and stability at the heart of this government's agenda", warning that "will mean difficult decisions to come".

He gave no details about what those decisions were, but how to fund support for energy bills, and bring down government debt, are likely to be among them.

Mr Sunak is expected to cut public spending to plug an estimated £40bn hole in the public finances.

On his first day in office Mr Sunak spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "to underline the United Kingdom's steadfast support for Ukraine", a Downing Street spokesman said.

United States President Joe Biden said "that the UK remains America's closest ally" in another call, according to Downing Street.

The prime minister and President Biden also agreed to "preserve" the Good Friday peace deal, which set up power sharing in Northern Ireland.

It comes amid an ongoing row over the Northern Ireland Protocol - part of the post-Brexit deal between the UK and EU.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak vowed to "fix" errors made by his predecessor, Liz Truss


Mr Sunak also spoke to the first minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, and of Wales, Mark Drakeford.

Ms Sturgeon said that the call with Mr Sunak had been "constructive", and Downing Street said Mr Sunak had emphasised their "duty" to work closely together.

Mr Drakeford said the call had been a chance to "discuss the importance of working together as four nations" to address the "urgent challenges" faced by the UK.

The economic challenges ahead for Mr Sunak loomed large in his speech, which he delivered in a solemn tone, outside his new residence at Downing Street.

He appeared on his own without his wife, Akshata Murty, and two daughters beside him.

He reminded the public of his decisions when he was chancellor during the Covid-19 pandemic, including the furlough scheme to help employers pay their staff.

While "there are always limits", Mr Sunak said, "I promise you this: I will bring that same compassion to the challenges we face today."

Other than a brief, television statement on Monday evening, this was the first the public had heard from Mr Sunak since he was elected Tory leader.

The 42-year-old former hedge fund boss, who has only been an MP for seven years, enters office at a time when his party is cratering in the polls.

As the party searched for its third leader this year, Mr Sunak's former boss - Mr Johnson - insisted he was the only person who could unite the Conservatives and win the next election.

Mr Johnson, who only resigned as prime minister in September, ultimately withdrew from the Tory leadership contest, admitting it was not the "right time" for a comeback.

Mr Sunak reflected on Mr Johnson's "incredible achievements" in his speech, but downplayed his sole ownership of the party's 2019 election victory.

The prime minister said "the mandate my party earned in 2019 is not the sole property of any one individual - it is a mandate that belongs to and unites all of us".

"And the heart of that mandate is our manifesto," he said. "I will deliver on its promise."

If Mr Sunak moves too far away from his party's 2019 manifesto - which promised to "level up" the country - calls for an early general election may grow louder.

The next one is not due to take place until January 2025, at the latest, and Mr Sunak is under no obligation to hold one earlier under the UK's parliamentary system.

But Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said Mr Sunak's refusal to call a general election showed his party "does not trust the British people", who "will be rightly furious that they have been denied a say".

Labour Party chairwoman Anneliese Dodds said the country needed "a fresh start" after "12 years of Conservative failure", which Mr Sunak had been part of.

In a meeting with his shadow cabinet this morning, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer warned his party against complacency, calling Mr Sunak a "ruthless" political operator.

Sir Keir said Mr Sunak "will not deliver for working people" and told his MPs to "ignore the noise", even if the new prime minister gives the Tories "a significant poll bounce".


WATCH: Sunak on Truss: "Some mistakes were made"


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Joint Chiefs Chairman Outlines How Operation Absolute Resolve Was Carried Out in Venezuela
Starmer Welcomes End of Maduro Era While Stressing International Law and UK Non-Involvement
Korean Beauty Turns Viral Skincare Into a Global Export Engine
UK Confirms Non-Involvement in U.S. Military Action Against Venezuela
UK Terror Watchdog Calls for Australian-Style Social Media Ban to Protect Teenagers
Iranian Protests Intensify as Another Revolutionary Guard Member Is Killed and Khamenei Blames the West
Delta Force Identified as Unit Behind U.S. Operation That Captured Venezuela’s President
Europe’s Luxury Sanctions Punish Russian Consumers While a Sanctions-Circumvention Industry Thrives
Berkshire’s Buffett-to-Abel Transition Tests Whether a One-Man Trust Model Can Survive as a System
Fraud in European Central Bank: Lagarde’s Hidden Pay Premium Exposes a Transparency Crisis at the European Central Bank
Trump Announces U.S. Large-Scale Strike on Venezuela, Declares President Maduro and Wife Captured
Tesla Loses EV Crown to China’s BYD After Annual Deliveries Decline in 2025
UK Manufacturing Growth Reaches 15-Month Peak as Output and Orders Improve in December
Beijing Threatened to Scrap UK–China Trade Talks After British Minister’s Taiwan Visit
Newly Released Files Reveal Tony Blair Pressured Officials Over Iraq Death Case Involving UK Soldiers
Top Stocks and Themes to Watch in 2026 as Markets Enter New Year with Fresh Momentum
No UK Curfew Ordered as Deepfake TikTok Falsely Attributes Decree to Prime Minister Starmer
Europe’s Largest Defence Groups Set to Return Nearly Five Billion Dollars to Shareholders in Twenty Twenty-Five
Abu Dhabi ‘Capital of Capital’: How Abu Dhabi Rose as a Sovereign Wealth Power
Diamonds Are Powering a New Quantum Revolution
Trump Threatens Strikes Against Iran if Nuclear Programme Is Restarted
Apple Escalates Legal Fight by Appealing £1.5 Billion UK Ruling Over App Store Fees
UK Debt Levels Sit Mid-Range Among Advanced Economies Despite Rising Pressures
UK Plans Royal Diplomacy with King Charles and Prince William to Reinvigorate Trade Talks with US
King Charles and Prince William Poised for Separate 2026 US Visits to Reinforce UK-US Trade and Diplomatic Ties
Apple Moves to Appeal UK Ruling Ordering £1.5 Billion in Customer Overcharge Damages
King Charles’s 2025 Christmas Message Tops UK Television Ratings on Christmas Day
The Battle Over the Internet Explodes: The United States Bars European Officials and Ignites a Diplomatic Crisis
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Join Royal Family at Sandringham Christmas Service
Fine Wine Investors Find Little Cheer in Third Year of Falls
UK Mortgage Rates Edge Lower as Bank of England Base Rate Cut Filters Through Lending Market
U.S. Supermarket Gives Customers Free Groceries for Christmas After Computer Glitch
Air India ‘Finds’ a Plane That Vanished 13 Years Ago
Caviar and Foie Gras? China Is Becoming a Luxury Food Powerhouse
Hong Kong Climbs to Second Globally in 2025 Tourism Rankings Behind Bangkok
From Sunniest Year on Record to Terror Plots and Sports Triumphs: The UK’s Defining Stories of 2025
Greta Thunberg Released on Bail After Arrest at London Pro-Palestinian Demonstration
Banksy Unveils New Winter Mural in London Amid Festive Season Excitement
UK Households Face Rising Financial Strain as Tax Increases Bite and Growth Loses Momentum
UK Government Approves Universal Studios Theme Park in Bedford Poised to Rival Disneyland Paris
UK Gambling Shares Slide as Traders Respond to Steep Tax Rises and Sector Uncertainty
Starmer and Trump Coordinate on Ukraine Peace Efforts in Latest Diplomatic Call
The Pilot Barricaded Himself in the Cockpit and Refused to Take Off: "We Are Not Leaving Until I Receive My Salary"
UK Fashion Label LK Bennett Pursues Accelerated Sale Amid Financial Struggles
U.S. Government Warns UK Over Free Speech in Pro-Life Campaigner Prosecution
Newly Released Files Shed Light on Jeffrey Epstein’s Extensive Links to the United Kingdom
Prince William and Prince George Volunteer Together at UK Homelessness Charity
UK Police Arrest Protesters Chanting ‘Globalise the Intifada’ as Authorities Recalibrate Free Speech Enforcement
Scambodia: The World Owes Thailand’s Military a Profound Debt of Gratitude
Women in Partial Nudity — and Bill Clinton in a Dress and Heels: The Images Revealed in the “Epstein Files”
×