Rishi Sunak’s speech in Downing Street: What he said – and what he really meant

Our chief political commentator tries to read between the lines of the new prime minister’s words

What Rishi Sunak said: It is only right to explain why I am standing here as your new prime minister.

What he really meant: Everybody thinks it was a fix by the 1922 Committee which rigged the rules behind closed doors. But I am not actually going to explain anything.

What he said: I want to pay tribute to my predecessor Liz Truss: she was not wrong to want to improve growth in this country; it is a noble aim.

What he meant: She must have been out of her mind.  I told you, you fools, and you wouldn’t listen.

What he said: And I admired her restlessness to create change.

What he meant: She was a human hand grenade.

What he said: But some mistakes were made.

What he meant: I simply could not believe that she and Kwasi Kwarteng could make such a complete mess of a simple logical task.

What he said: Not borne of ill will or bad intentions.

What he meant: They were borne of sheer incompetence.

What he said: And I have been elected as leader of my party, and your prime minister, in part, to fix them.

What he meant: I am here to clear up the mess. Any difficulties I encounter will be blamed on my predecessor.

What he said: I will place economic stability and confidence at the heart of this government’s agenda.

What he meant: Can you believe those clowns, who thought that market confidence didn’t matter?

What he said: This will mean difficult decisions to come.

What he meant: I have nothing to offer but high prices, low wages and recession.

What he said: But you saw me during Covid, doing everything I could, to protect people and businesses, with schemes like furlough.

What he meant: Remember me? Furlough. I was popular once. Did I mention furlough?

What he said: There are always limits, more so now than ever, but I promise you this: I will bring that same compassion to the challenges we face today.

What he meant: Some of you will be left behind. But I am sorry about it.

What he said: The government I lead will not leave the next generation, your children and grandchildren, with a debt to settle that we were too weak to pay ourselves.

What he meant: Liz Truss was the worst prime minister ever.

What he said: This government will have integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level.

What he meant: I understand why you went off Boris Johnson. I did too.

What he said: I will always be grateful to Boris Johnson for his incredible achievements as prime minister, and I treasure his warmth and generosity of spirit.

What he meant: I know some people still like him. His greatest achievement was to appoint me chancellor.

What he said: And I know he would agree that the mandate my party earned in 2019 is not the sole property of any one individual.

What he meant: Haven’t you a holiday villa to go back to, Boris?

What he said: The heart of that mandate is our manifesto. I will deliver on its promise: a stronger NHS; better schools; safer streets; control of our borders; protecting our environment; supporting our armed forces; levelling up; and building an economy that embraces the opportunities of Brexit, where businesses invest, innovate, and create jobs.

What he meant: Allow me to redefine my mandate and mention a lot of policy slogans to make it sound as if this isn’t just a game of pass-the-prime-minister among an elite operating behind the scenes.

What he said: I understand how difficult this moment is.

What he meant: I have no idea what it is like to be ashamed of going to a food bank.

What he said: And I understand too that I have work to do to restore trust after all that has happened.

What he meant: I will put as much distance as possible between me and Johnson, Truss and the chaos of the past year.

What he said: All I can say is that I am not daunted. I know the high office I have accepted and I hope to live up to its demands.

What he meant: I was born to rule.

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What he said: So I stand here before you, ready to lead our country into the future. To put your needs above politics.

What he meant: Well, it’s all politics, obviously, but people like a politician to pretend that governing is nothing to do with politics.

What he said: To reach out and build a government that represents the very best traditions of my party.

What he meant: I need to get this reshuffle right or else those weirdos who thought Liz Truss was a suitable candidate for prime minister will come for me.

What he said: We will create a future worthy of the sacrifices so many have made, and fill tomorrow, and everyday thereafter, with hope.

What he meant: Hopey changey stuff. End on a positive note.