The problems with the economy is going to continue

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak believes that in 2023 the time of hardship in the UK will continue because of the effects of the conflict in Ukraine.

"I'm not going to pretend that all our problems will end in the new year. But 2023 will give us the opportunity to showcase the best of the UK on the world stage," the head of government said in a video message distributed on Saturday night.

He gave assurances that the United Kingdom would continue to support the Ukrainian authorities despite economic difficulties. Summing up the last 12 months, Sunak expressed the view that 2022 ended up being a difficult year for many Britons, who faced unprecedented increases in energy prices.

According to a report by the National Statistics Service, inflation in the United Kingdom was 10.7% year-on-year in November. The main factor behind the price hike was cited as an increase in electricity tariffs as a result of the sanctions war between the West and Russia over the conflict in Ukraine. On 17 November, UK Treasury Secretary Jeremy Hunt said that the UK economy had entered a recessionary phase.

Also during 2023, Keir Starmer said Labour would "lay out the case for change", including more equitable economic growth, a green jobs revolution and what he called a "whole new way of doing politics" based on trust.

Like Sunack and Starmer, Liberal Democrat leader Edward Jonathan Davey celebrated the death of Queen Elizabeth II, and along with Starmer he hailed the England women's football team for their triumph at the Euros.

Also stating that change is needed in 2023, Davey condemned what he called "political chaos in the Conservative Party causing economic havoc for the rest of us".