BETA filters Key Facts (3) Rishi Sunak (9) Q: How will the UK work with other countries to implement the proposals in the G20 communiqué? Sunak says the communique is “substantive”, “comprehensive” and “action-oriented”. A lot of positive things came out of the summit that the Indian presidency will take forward, he says. And that’s all. The press conference is over.
Sunak refuses to accept Brexit has worsened the UK’s economic situation
Q: Do you accept that Brexit has worsened the economic situation? And do you agree with George Eustice that the Australian trade deal is dumb? Sunak says global factors are mainly behind the economic situation. It does not refer to the issue of Brexit. On trade, he says every trade deal has good and bad points. In the future, he doesn’t want to sacrifice quality for speed, he says. (Eustice says the Australia deal was bad because Liz Truss rushed it.)
Sunak says the government is working “incredibly hard” to ensure the Autumn Statement delivers fairness and compassion
Q: The fall statement will be difficult for people. Why should they accept what is happening? Sunak says inflation is people’s number one concern. It eats away at people’s standard of living. He wants to bring it down and limit the rise in mortgage rates. This will require difficult decisions, he says. He says over the summer people got a taste of what can happen when you don’t get these things right. But decisions will be based on justice and compassion. He says he believes people will see that the government has “tried incredibly hard to deliver justice, to deliver compassion”. Q: In an interview yesterday you said that inflation was your number one priority. In another you said it was illegal immigration. Which one is it? Sunak says tackling inflation is his top priority. Once the UK has a solid economic footing, he is confident it can move forward. We must first control inflation, he says. He says the G20 communique released today made the same point. Illegal immigration is the next priority after that, he says. He says, after the fall statement, it’s the subject he spends the most time on. He says the agreement with France shows the first fruits of this effort. Updated at 08:57 GMT Q: [From ITV’s Anushka Asthana] When you woke up at 5 in the morning, did that bring home to you how this war could spread? Yes, says Sunak. That’s why he talked to the Polish president. And he also spoke with President Zelensky of Ukraine. He says G20 leaders were trying to find solutions to these problems as Russia deployed more than 80 missiles against Ukraine. This shows “absolute contempt” for the international system. Sunak is now taking questions. The BBC’s Chris Mason asks what he would say to people worried that the war in Ukraine could spark a global conflict. Sunak says they are still proving the facts of what happened yesterday. This is happening as we speak, he says. Sunak says economic stability and confidence are at the heart of the government’s agenda. Tomorrow’s autumn statement will show how the government is putting the country on a positive course, he says.
Sunak says Russia’s war in Ukraine is a threat not only to global security, but also to the global economy
Rishi Sunak speaks at the start of his press conference. He says Vladimir Putin launched indiscriminate attacks on civilians in Ukraine yesterday. The UK is consistently behind Ukraine, he says. As long as the war continues, it is a threat to the security of the United Kingdom and the world. And it’s devastating for the global economy, he says. Two-thirds of G20 members currently face inflation rates above 7%, and the IMF predicts that a third of the global economy will be in recession this year or next. At a time when countries are temporarily emerging from the ravages of the Covid-19 pandemic, households around the world have been hit by punitive price hikes and face an uncertain future. Good morning. Rishi Sunak is still at the G20 summit in Bali, but as a result of the missile landing in Poland, the G20 has also turned into a G7/NATO summit. My colleague Patrick Wintour has the latest here. Sunak had a bilateral meeting with Joe Biden, the US president. But his planned bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping – which would have been Xi’s first face-to-face meeting with a UK prime minister for nearly five years – was cancelled. Sunak is scheduled to hold a press conference at 8.30 am. Speaking earlier, asked about reports that the Polish deaths may have been caused by a missile fired by the Ukrainians as part of their air defence, Sunak said: I think the most important thing to recognize is the reason Ukraine needs to use missiles is to defend its homeland. She must defend her homeland against an illegal and barbaric set of strikes from Russia. Here is the agenda for the day. 8.30 am: Rishi Sunak gives a press conference in Bali. 9am: Steve Barclay, the health secretary, speaks at the NHS Providers conference in Liverpool 12pm: Dominic Raab, the deputy prime minister, faces Angela Rayner, the deputy Labor leader, at PMQs. After 12.30pm: MPs discuss the remaining stages of the national security bill. I’m trying to follow the comments below the line (BTL) but it’s impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, include “Andrew” somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I try to answer questions and if they’re of general interest I’ll post the question and answer above the line (ATL), though I can’t promise I’ll do it for everyone. If you want to get my attention quickly, it’s probably best to use Twitter. I’m on @AndrewSparrow. Alternatively you can email me at [email protected] Rishi Sunak sits with Joe Biden (left) at the emergency meeting of G7 leaders in Bali. Photo: Leon Neal/PA Updated at 08:27 GMT
