It cannot be called a quiet Christmas for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Across the UK several public services are closing down and there has been a veritable calendar of strikes. According to former British correspondent Tim de Wit, Sunak is facing a huge job.
But where to begin, dares the former British correspondent Tim de Wit to ask. ‘This gets quite tricky, because if you look at what sectors are taking to the streets; the hospital staff, the railway staff, the customs staff have been on strike for a few weeks,” he says. Not a day goes by without a strike, and the problem for Sunak is that every sector is demanding huge wage increases. However, due to high inflation.’
19 percent more
As an example, De Wit cites the health sector, which wants over 19% more than the existing wage. “Sunak naturally thinks that if he meets one group, he has to meet all the other groups. It can’t be paid, so it’s stuck with his hands. And this will continue to be the case for the next few weeks.’
So far, however, Sunak has held his own, De Wit continues. “He comes in with a much lower offer in terms of pay rise than the industry’s demand, and he stands his ground. That’s why I expect the strikes to continue in 2023, and that will be his first real problem.”
Premiership at stake?
Though it threatens to become a persistent problem, former UK ambassador Simon Smits doesn’t think it could cost him his job. “It’s not about mood or anything,” he says. It just depends on his own party for his position. And they – after consuming three in a year – will wait a while to invent a fourth.’
While it has also been said of Truss, Smits doesn’t think Sunak will meet the same fate. “He was elected by his own MPs and I think they will think twice before impeaching anyone else. He will stay in the saddle for the next two years, until 2025.’
‘a whole year’
De Wit agrees with Smits. “It’s been quite a long year, with all this political chaos,” he continues. ‘First Boris Johnson, who went from one scandal to another, then the famous 45 days of Liz Truss and now Rishi Sunak. That part realizes that he won’t do it again.”
According to De Wit, this can also be seen in the way Sunak adopts a more pragmatic attitude. “He’s really an economist in that sense,” he concludes. “Financial markets have calmed down again. There was real panic under Liz Truss, and he managed to do it. That’s why she’s politically firmly in the saddle.’
To hit
But whether the country will continue to support him, especially in view of the strikes, De Wit does not dare to say. “You could see the country transform a government,” he concludes. ‘They say ‘if you leave our nurses out in the cold like that then something is swinging.’ That movement is not yet visible in the polls, but it is possible.’
Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
