Sunak’s view on Brexit, tax, immigration before becoming UK PM

Rishi Sunak on Monday emerged head of the Conservative Party and set to become a new prime minister of the United Kingdom.
For the incoming PM, here is a summary of what he has previously said about three key issues facing the country: Brexit, economy/tax and immigration.

Brexit

Sunak campaigned for leaving the European Union in the lead up to the 2016 referendum, gathering a reputation as a staunch supporter of the project in the build up to that vote.

During the summer leadership election, he said he wanted to “fix” the Northern Ireland protocol, reform all EU laws still in place by next general election and scrap inherited EU financial regulations.

Economy and tax

The former chancellor was the driving force behind the rise in corporation tax from 19% to 25%, and the (now scrapped) rise in National Insurance – but has said he aims to bring down taxes overall in the future when it’s practical.

In his first bid to become PM, Sunak suggested scrapping the 5% VAT on domestic energy bills for next year and cutting the lower rate of income tax – currently 20% – by 1% from April 2024.

Sunak has also spoken extensively about the need to bring down government debt, and was very critical over the summer of Liz Truss’s plans to pay for tax cuts via extra government borrowing.

Immigration

Sunak has pledged to stick with the government’s Rwanda policy – which aims to send some cross-Channel migrants to the east African country, but is currently undergoing legal challenges.

The Home Office says the policy will work by deterring those using “illegal, dangerous or unnecessary methods” – such as on small boats or hidden in lorries – from claiming asylum in the UK instead of other safe countries like France.

Sunak has also said the overall number of asylum claims should be capped, and the rules of who is eligible to apply for asylum must be legally tightened.

-BBC News