'Maths Till 18 Years': Rishi Sunak On 1st Speech Of 2023 As UK Faces Economic Crisis

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is set to deliver his first speech of the year on Wednesday to set out priorities for 2023

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak

Source : Getty

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will deliver his first speech of the year on Wednesday, and set out priorities in order to reassure the Conservative Party that he has what it takes to lead them into the next national election.

Sunak was elected for the top job after failing an attempt at becoming prime minister last year. He took over the reins after one-time rival Liz Truss was forced from power in October after just 44 days.

Since then, the leader is surrounded by problems ranging from workers' protests over pay, health service crisis, an inflation that is at around 40-year high, and a recession predicted for Britain, reported news agency Reuters.

What’s expected to be announced?

The speech on Wednesday will be watched closely as a reply to critics who doubt whether he has what it takes to help the party win the next election.

The 42-year-old leader will set out his commitment to deliver for the long term on issues such as low numeracy rates, according to the news agency Reuters.

"This is personal for me. Every opportunity I've had in life began with the education I was so fortunate to receive," the leader will say as he intends to set out a new ambition for all school children in England study some form of maths up to the age of 18.

"And it's the single most important reason why I came into politics: to give every child the highest possible standard of education... With the right plan - the right commitment to excellence - I see no reason why we cannot rival the best education systems in the world," according to the excerpts of the speech released on Tuesday evening.

Sunak’s office shared details about his plans beyond introducing maths to all students up to age 18 to improve poor numeracy, described by the OECD as affecting "particularly large proportions of adults in England".

The leader is expected to elaborate on how to reach the goals he set out on New Year's Eve on Twitter when he said he wanted people to feel pride in their country, to be less anxious about inflation, energy bills and the National Health Service, and to trust in fairness, something he said could be achieved by tackling illegal migration.

With opinion polls showing the opposition Labour Party holding with a strong lead, some Conservative lawmakers and ministers have called upon their leader to act and set out his vision for pulling Britain out of its tailspin.