Rishi Sunak vowed he will give Britain a renewed sense of pride after the “tough times” the country has been through.
The Prime Minister admitted the last few years have not been easy but insisted the future is bright under his plan to turn the economy around.
Speaking directly to Daily Express readers, Mr Sunak promised significant progress is already being made on some of the biggest issues the country is facing, including rising numbers of adults shunning work.
And he revealed the very personal motivation behind his desire to do the best for the country that gave his parents a “special” welcome.
Talking to our readers in No 10, he said: “I want everyone to have a renewed sense of pride in our country and if we stick with our plan I really think I can give you the peace of mind that the future will be better. That’s what I’m about.”
Mr Sunak, who was chancellor when the pandemic hit, said the economy is now heading in the right direction.
Although official figures put Britain into recession at the end of last year, across the whole 12 months there was growth.
Mr Sunak said: “We have been through a tough time in the last couple of years as a country, getting through covid with all the impact that’s had on backlogs, then we’ve had the situation in Ukraine driving up energy bills.
“So it hasn’t been an easy time. But I really think that although we have got work to do, at the start of this year we are pointing in the right direction.
“We have turned a corner and we are heading in the right direction.
“I feel that because I look at the progress we are making. Inflation has been more than halved, which was the big priority when I first got the job.
“The economy in spite of the predictions actually grew last year, debt is on track to fall to ensure we have financial security for our public services and for our grandkids.”
Mr Sunak said small boat crossings were down by a third, which has “never happened before” and while there were “challenges” in the NHS but progress is being made on waiting lists.
He added: “So across the board is there work to do? Yes. But I think we are heading in the right direction, particularly on the economy where I was really keen to ease the burden on the cost of living for all of you and everyone else.
“And because financial conditions have improved, we have been able to start cutting taxes.
“I think that’s really important because I believe in a country where hard work is rewarded, you can keep more of your hard earned money and at the beginning of the year we started doing that.”
Over tea and biscuits in the study Margaret Thatcher used as her main office, Mr Sunak told a panel of Express readers about his determination to stop people being given sick notes when they are capable of work.
Last year a record 2.5 million people were signed off, with mental health issues and long covid to blame.
The government is investing £2.5 billion in a Back to Work plan to help more than one million people with long-term conditions return to employment.
As well as increasing mental health support, it includes programmes that give people tailored support when they have been unemployed for a long period.
Mr Sunak said the welfare system must be “compassionate” but also “fair” to everyone, including people going out to work everyday.
He said: “We have got at the moment far too many people who are not working who should be working.
“So we are in the process of reforming our welfare system.
“We have got lots of people who are signed off sick who don’t need to be.
“That number has gone up massively over the past decade and we have not got that much sicker as a country.
“So something has gone wrong in the system and we are now reforming it, actually really focused on controlling welfare, supporting people into work because work is a good thing.
“I always say work is something I believe in. It gives you purpose, dignity and fulfilment in life so we should really want people to be working.
“And it’s also about fairness in the system. Everyone who is working hard and putting in wants to know everyone who can work is doing that too.
“It means you will have access to the staff you need and it will allow us to reduce immigration.
“That’s why controlling and reforming welfare is a really appropriate, sensible thing to be doing.
“It’s something I believe in and it’s something we are doing.
“We lost a bit of that during the pandemic for obvious reasons but after that we need to get back to being rigorous about saying ‘if you can work, you should be working’ and having a welfare system that says we need to be compassionate and support you but we also need to be fair and fair means if you can work you should be working.”
Mr Sunak told our readers how his parents were welcomed in Britain after moving from east Africa and their hard work was rewarded.
He said: “I’m really passionate about this country. My family chose to come here. They chose to come here because this country is an incredible place.
“This country did something so special for my family – it welcomed them here.
“They integrated and worked hard and that’s what we are about.
“It’s because this country has done so much for me and my family that I feel this deep sense of commitment and service to make sure we do have that renewed sense of pride in this country and I want to do a good job for all of you because of that.”
