Rishi Sunak’s First Speech as UK Prime Minister: Full Transcript

In his first tackle as Britain’s prime minister, Rishi Sunak vowed on Tuesday to steer a authorities of “integrity, professionalism and accountability at each degree.” Right here is his speech in full:

Good morning,

I’ve simply been to Buckingham Palace and accepted His Majesty the King’s invitation to kind a authorities in his title. It’s only proper to elucidate why I’m standing right here as your new prime minister.

Proper now our nation is going through a profound financial disaster. The aftermath of Covid nonetheless lingers. Putin’s warfare in Ukraine has destabilized vitality markets and provide chains the world over.

I wish to pay tribute to my predecessor, Liz Truss. She was not unsuitable to wish to enhance development on this nation — it’s a noble goal — and I admired her restlessness to create change.

However some errors had been made — not borne of unwell will or unhealthy intentions, fairly the alternative, in truth — however errors nonetheless. And I’ve been elected as chief of my occasion, and your prime minister, partially, to repair them. And that work begins instantly.

I’ll place financial stability and confidence on the coronary heart of this authorities’s agenda. It will imply tough choices to come back. However you noticed me throughout Covid, doing all the pieces I might, to guard individuals and companies, with schemes like furlough.

There are all the time limits, extra so now than ever, however I promise you this: I’ll carry that very same compassion to the challenges we face at present.

The federal government I lead won’t depart the following technology, your kids and grandchildren, with a debt to settle that we had been too weak to pay ourselves.

I’ll unite our nation, not with phrases, however with motion.

I’ll work day in and day trip to ship for you.

This authorities could have integrity, professionalism and accountability at each degree.

Belief is earned. And I’ll earn yours.

I’ll all the time be grateful to Boris Johnson for his unbelievable achievements as prime minister, and I treasure his heat and generosity of spirit.

And I do know he would agree that the mandate my occasion earned in 2019 is just not the only property of anybody particular person, it’s a mandate that belongs to and unites all of us.

And the guts of that mandate is our manifesto. I’ll ship on its promise: a stronger N.H.S., higher colleges, safer streets, management of our borders, defending our surroundings, supporting our armed forces, leveling up and constructing an financial system that embraces the alternatives of Brexit, the place companies make investments, innovate and create jobs.

I perceive how tough this second is.

After the billions of kilos it value us to fight Covid, after all of the dislocation that precipitated within the midst of a horrible warfare that should be seen efficiently to its conclusions, I absolutely respect how onerous issues are. And I perceive, too, that I’ve work to do to revive belief in any case that has occurred.

All I can say is that I’m not daunted. I do know the excessive workplace I’ve accepted, and I hope to reside as much as its calls for.

However when the chance to serve comes alongside, you can’t query the second, solely your willingness.

So I stand right here earlier than you prepared to steer our nation into the longer term, to place your wants above politics, to achieve out and construct a authorities that represents the perfect traditions of my occasion.

Collectively we are able to obtain unbelievable issues.

We’ll create a future worthy of the sacrifices so many have made and fill tomorrow, and on a regular basis thereafter with hope.

Thanks.