Britain should give Sunak another term
PRIME MINISTER PROMISING DESPITE PRESSURE OF RISING ENERGY PRICES
RISHI SUNAK got the “hammer award” at the GG2 Power List dinner because he has broken the ultimate glass ceiling. The prime minister sent a video message this time, but would be wise to attend in person in future.
Invitations can dry up very quickly as former health secretary Sajid Javid, once number one on the GG2 Power List, is no doubt discovering.
The country should give Rishi another five years, not because he is British Asian, but because he is good for the country. There is pressure on him to cut taxes or at any rate help businesses by not putting up corporation tax. He will know whether that is possible. But so far it is a relief that the markets are relatively calm and that inflation looks set to come down.
If only the war in Ukraine could be brought to an end, energy prices will also come down. But there is no prospect of an early resolution to the conflict.
Maybe in his heart of hearts, Rishi realises that Brexit is not proving to be an unmixed blessing. He is a pragmatic man, however, and may have concluded that the UK will have to come to a closer working arrangement with the European Union. He seems to have done a deal to resolve the problems with the Northern Ireland Protocol. And now, in an effort to reduce the number of migrants arriving in small boats, he has established friendly relations with president Emmanuel Macron of France.
The French could easily cut off the flow overnight. But they were turning a blind eye to thousands of refugees making the cross channel journey as a way of punishing Britain for leaving the EU.
Macron may well decide that the way the EU repairs its relationship with the UK is by strengthening Rishi’s position. And so I do expect him to reduce the number of migrants setting off in dinghies and small boats.
As for Gary Lineker’s intemperate tweet, the former footballer does not appear to understand that migration is a complex, global problem. And what is happening with people risking their lives in dangerous sea crossings is a symptom of something much bigger. Manmade wars and climate change will drive huge population shifts in the years to come.
In comparison, whether Match of the Day is affected is pretty inconsequential.