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HeadlineRishi Sunak warns we are entering ‘dangerous years’ in major pre-election speech

Short Headline'Dangerous years ahead', warns PM in pre-election pitch

StandfirstHe said the past 14 years have not been perfect, but that the country would be safer under the Tories.

Rishi Sunak said the UK is entering “dangerous years” and feels an “urgency” for change.

The prime minister suggests the UK “stands at a crossroads” and that the Conservatives are the best party to lead the country through a volatile future.

Polling places Labour ahead of the Conservative party by 20 points – a figure that reflects the party’s loss in the local elections.

The Conservative Party Leader says he is “not pretending everything from the last 14 years is perfect.”

But he did emphasise his pride in their achievements. Their education reforms, he says, have reduced the attainment gap and improved university access to disadvantaged young people.

His speech also focused on security and defence amid growing geo-political tensions with Russia, China, and Iran and was framed in the context of the future.

Rishi Sunak said, “I feel a profound sense of urgency because more will change in the next five years than in the last 30.

I’m convinced that the next few years will be some of the most dangerous yet most transformational our country has ever known.”

Mr Sunak remarked that “war had returned to Europe” and that Putin has been “reckless” and NATO allies are concerned about it spreading outside of Ukraine.

The Prime Minister acknowledges that “confidence and pride in our country” has slipped ahead of the general election but claims that his “bold ideas” will provide the safest course of action.

He says a focus on AI and technological developments will be key, adding that his party “are the only ones talking about the future.”

Rishi Sunak was clear that the future was at stake and that the looming general election should not be decided on personality, “Sunak versus Starmer”, but rather the election should “be a choice between the future and the past”.

The Conservative leader targeted Labour throughout the speech, saying that Sir Keir Starmer “cannot say” to American allies their defence strategy has been prioritised.

Labour responded to the upcoming speech saying, “the Conservatives can’t fix the country’s problems because they are the problem.”

Key shadow minister Pat McFadden added that the current government have “brought costly chaos to the country”.

Rishi Sunak says the main challenge is not only to beat the Labour party. It is also to overcome the past and lead forward to a strong future.