Rishi Sunak has pitched himself as a force for change in a bid to win the next general election by choosing to cancel not only a major rail project, but the smoking of cigarettes and A-level exams.
In an hour-long speech before the Conservative Party conference the British Prime Minister made the much-anticipated announcement to axe the HS2 rail project.
But he also went in hard on the smoking industry, introducing legislation to raise the ban on smoking by a year annually, meaning that today’s 14 year olds will never be legally able to smoke.
He also made several references to his Indian ethnicity, arguing Britain was the “most successful multi-ethnic country on Earth”.
Wearing a blue bracelet that read ‘Dada’, the father of two, 43, took to the podium to push a string of his policies and defend his less-popular choices.
It was a speech that typified Mr Sunak’s competent, honest and capable approach to politics yet it remains to be seen if it will take the fight to Labour and inspire voters to return to Conservatives, enabling them to win next year’s election.
But with the Conservatives more than 15 points behind in the polls, Mr Sunak knows he has to create wedge issues to make an impact on the public consciousness that he is a different type of leader.
Akshata introduction
In a break from tradition, Mr Sunak was introduced by his wife Akshata Murty, 43, who began her unscripted and endearing speech by stating my “husband has no idea what I’m going to say”, to much laughter.
She lauded his “strength of character” and told the packed hall aspiration runs through her husband’s veins.
“We met when we were 24 and I was struck by two things: a deep love for his home, the UK, and his sincere desire to ensure as many people to have chances that he had.”
Part of that “chance” was the private education Mr Sunak received at Winchester College and he made a big pitch to improve Britain’s state education system.
He proposed introducing baccalaureate-style testing by ensuring that all pupils studied both maths and English to 18 in addition to three other A Levels in the new Advanced British Standard.
“Education is the closest thing we have to a silver bullet,” he declared after announcing that those who taught key subjects would receive special bonuses of £30,000 tax free over their first five years of their career.
HS2 axed
Watched by his entire cabinet, some of whom have made oblique leadership pitches during the four-day conference, the Conservative leader navigated through the tricky ground of cancelling a high-level transport project by making it sound like a win.
The HS2 rail line was meant to reduce journey times between Birmingham and Manchester by 45 minutes but with costs spiralling and the project not ready after two decades, Mr Sunak decided to take the criticism while saving £36 billion.
That cash will be spent on rail and road projects across the country that he proposed would have a much greater impact. Every region outside of London will receive the same amount of investment or more than they would have under HS2, Mr Sunak said.
But the danger remains that key Conservative supporters, including the West Midlands mayor Andy Street could heavily criticise the decision.
Mr Sunak’s is staking his position as the person who deals with realistic politics rather than unfulfilled bombastic promises.
He accepted the decision would draw criticism such as showing “a lack of ambition”.
“I say to those who backed the project in the first place, the facts have changed and the right thing to do when the facts change is to have the courage to change direction,” he said.
“So I am ending this long-running saga. I am cancelling the rest of the HS2 project and in its place, we will reinvest every single penny, £36 billion, in hundreds of new transport projects in the North and the Midlands, across the country.
“This means £36 billion of investment in the projects that will make a real difference across our nation.”
Ethnic Britain
The biggest sign of warmth from the packed hall at the Manchester Convention Centre came when he praised Britain’s multiculturalism.
“I stand before you today as the first non-white leader in Britain’s history,” he said, then related a story of taking his grandfather into Westminster Palace when he first became an MP in 2015.
Britain is not a “racist country”, the Prime Minister said, as he highlighted the diversity within the ruling Conservative Party.
“I’m proud to be the first British-Asian prime minister but even prouder that it’s not a big deal,” he added.
Stop the boats
“We will do what is necessary stop the boats,” Mr Sunak stated, hinting that he may be prepared to take Britain out of the European Convention on Human Rights if the Rwanda deportation scheme failed in the courts.
“I am confident that once flights start going regularly to Rwanda, the boats will stop coming,” he argued.
He said he wanted to deliver tax cuts but these would have to be found by instead halving inflation and easing the cost of living.
Smoking ban
Ending smoking would “tackle the single biggest preventable cause of death” in Britain, where 64,000 people die from smoke-related diseases a year.
“Thousands of children will start smoking in the coming years,” he warned, stating that raising the legal smoking age by one year, every year" means a 14 year old today will never be legally sold a cigarette.
This was met with lukewarm applause – the Conservatives are never keen on governments banning items, which their leader appeared to acknowledge.
“For a Conservative, measures that restrict choice are never easy,” he said. “But there is no safe level of smoking. None of us want our children to grow up as smokers.”
'Realistic approach to net zero'
Mr Sunak sought to defend his recent decision to push back green targets, including a 2030 ban on the sale of new diesel and petrol cars.
He said while it “was not the easiest argument to have”, Britain’s poorest households should not have to pay for measures aimed at reaching the net-zero 2050 target.
“I won’t take any lectures from countries that have done far less than us or from those for whom spending thousands of pounds means nothing,” he said.
The UK remains on track to meet domestic and international climate targets and its net-zero commitment, he said.
He chose to “take a pragmatic proportionate and realistic approach to reaching net zero”, he said.
By scaling back the green agenda, his administration has “solved a problem and offered an unapologetic defence of good Conservative common sense”, he said.
'Time for change'
Throughout the long speech, the applause was moderate without being ecstatic, a suggestion that the Conservative Party knows it is in a hard place that could only become harsher if the disunity of Boris Johnson’s era is reintroduced.
The polls in coming months – as well as the economic data – will be key in determining whether Mr Sunak has achieved the “cut-through” needed to close the gap on Labour.
Mr Sunak ended by emphasising “it is time for change and we are it”. In the press room afterwards, one commentator summed up the challenge he faced: “What he really means is ‘it’s time to change, stick with the Tories’," he said.
Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP
%3Cp%3E%0DElena%20Rybakina%20(Kazakhstan)%20%20%0D%3Cbr%3EOns%20Jabeur%20(Tunisia)%20%20%0D%3Cbr%3EMaria%20Sakkari%20(Greece)%20%20%0D%3Cbr%3EBarbora%20Krej%C4%8D%C3%ADkov%C3%A1%20(Czech%20Republic)%20%20%0D%3Cbr%3EBeatriz%20Haddad%20Maia%20(Brazil)%20%20%0D%3Cbr%3EJe%C4%BCena%20Ostapenko%20(Latvia)%20%20%0D%3Cbr%3ELiudmila%20Samsonova%20%20%0D%3Cbr%3EDaria%20Kasatkina%E2%80%AF%20%0D%3Cbr%3EVeronika%20Kudermetova%E2%80%AF%20%0D%3Cbr%3ECaroline%20Garcia%20(France)%E2%80%AF%20%0D%3Cbr%3EMagda%20Linette%20(Poland)%E2%80%AF%20%0D%3Cbr%3ESorana%20C%C3%AErstea%20(Romania)%E2%80%AF%20%0D%3Cbr%3EAnastasia%20Potapova%E2%80%AF%20%0D%3Cbr%3EAnhelina%20Kalinina%20(Ukraine)%E2%80%AF%E2%80%AF%20%0D%3Cbr%3EJasmine%20Paolini%20(Italy)%E2%80%AF%20%0D%3Cbr%3EEmma%20Navarro%20(USA)%E2%80%AF%20%0D%3Cbr%3ELesia%20Tsurenko%20(Ukraine)%3Cbr%3ENaomi%20Osaka%20(Japan)%20-%20wildcard%3Cbr%3EEmma%20Raducanu%20(Great%20Britain)%20-%20wildcard%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
War
Director: Siddharth Anand
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Ashutosh Rana, Vaani Kapoor
Rating: Two out of five stars
IF YOU GO
The flights: FlyDubai offers direct flights to Catania Airport from Dubai International Terminal 2 daily with return fares starting from Dh1,895.
The details: Access to the 2,900-metre elevation point at Mount Etna by cable car and 4x4 transport vehicle cost around €57.50 (Dh248) per adult. Entry into Teatro Greco costs €10 (Dh43). For more go to www.visitsicily.info
Where to stay: Hilton Giardini Naxos offers beachfront access and accessible to Taormina and Mount Etna. Rooms start from around €130 (Dh561) per night, including taxes.
ENGLAND TEAM
Alastair Cook, Mark Stoneman, James Vince, Joe Root (captain), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Craig Overton, Stuart Broad, James Anderson
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
more from Janine di Giovanni
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
MATCH INFO
Wales 1 (Bale 45 3')
Croatia 1 (Vlasic 09')
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Key findings
- Over a period of seven years, a team of scientists analysed dietary data from 50,000 North American adults.
- Eating one or two meals a day was associated with a relative decrease in BMI, compared with three meals. Snacks count as a meal. Likewise, participants who ate more than three meals a day experienced an increase in BMI: the more meals a day, the greater the increase.
- People who ate breakfast experienced a relative decrease in their BMI compared with “breakfast-skippers”.
- Those who turned the eating day on its head to make breakfast the biggest meal of the day, did even better.
- But scrapping dinner altogether gave the best results. The study found that the BMI of subjects who had a long overnight fast (of 18 hours or more) decreased when compared even with those who had a medium overnight fast, of between 12 and 17 hours.
MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
The distance learning plan
Spring break will be from March 8 - 19
Public school pupils will undergo distance learning from March 22 - April 2. School hours will be 8.30am to 1.30pm
Staff will be trained in distance learning programmes from March 15 - 19
Teaching hours will be 8am to 2pm during distance learning
Pupils will return to school for normal lessons from April 5
ICC Awards for 2021
MEN
Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)
WOMEN
Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Generation Start-up: Awok company profile
Started: 2013
Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 600 plus
Stage: still in talks with VCs
Principal Investors: self-financed by founder
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
SM Town Live is on Friday, April 6 at Autism Rocks Arena, Dubai. Tickets are Dh375 at www.platinumlist.net
MANDOOB
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PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
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Confirmed%20bouts%20(more%20to%20be%20added)
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Where to submit a sample
Volunteers of all ages can submit DNA samples at centres across Abu Dhabi, including: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), Biogenix Labs in Masdar City, NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City, NMC Royal Medical Centre, Abu Dhabi, NMC Royal Women's Hospital, Bareen International Hospital, Al Towayya in Al Ain, NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sav%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Purvi%20Munot%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24750%2C000%20as%20of%20March%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Angel%20investors%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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