Rishi Sunak has had a good platform in Bali but the rubber will hit the road when he returns to the UK
For Rishi Sunak, the G20 in Indonesia has been a good platform to find voice on foreign policy, and to press the flesh with allies who could be forgiven for being bemused at best, horrified at worst, by the changing of the guard three times at No 10 in four months.
For the first time in their 15 years of meeting face-to-face, these leaders do so in Bali in the shadow of war in Europe which has exposed the divisions between Western allies and other big industrialised nations, namely China and India, when it comes to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
And for our prime minister it has given him an opportunity to “call out” Russia’s “barbaric war” and glower at Russia’s foreign minister across the room.
He has used this moment to re-assert a close relationship with the US – he will meet President Biden on Wednesday – as well as repairing what at times were tense moments with European allies, driven by a combative Boris Johnson and then Liz Truss.
But as he represents the UK on the world stage, his chancellor is putting to bed an autumn statement which is going to be a much more difficult prospect to navigate than the diplomacy in Bali.
Thursday is when the rubber hits the road for this prime minister.
It is the moment when the public learn in concrete terms what the fall-out from Liz Truss’s mini-budget and the new PM’s determination to correct the damage will have on their own finances.
And he needs to prepare for a very bumpy ride indeed.
Because the chancellor is looking at how to plug an estimated £55bn black hole in the public finances through a mix of tax rises and spending cuts.
He has promised to be compassionate and fair in how he metes out the pain – but his chancellor has made it clear that everyone’s taxes will be going up.
And as much as Mr Sunak would like to lay the blame for this economic pain at the feet of the global economy, fault lies too with his own party and the Tory government: £30bn of this black hole was a result of Liz Truss’s ill-fated mini-budget, that pushed thorough £20bn of unfunded tax cuts with another £10bn from higher interest rates and government borrowing costs amid all that market turmoil, according to estimates by the thinktank Resolution Foundation.
And yet, no-one in government has taken responsibility for it.
It resulted in Liz Truss being forced out and Mr Sunak brought in.
But as the Tories changed guard, the public paid the price of this reckless management of the economy and will on Thursday be paying again for the Tories’ choices.
Ms Truss may be gone, but her party remains in power and so the question I had for the prime minister was did he need to apologise to close that chapter and properly move on: Mr Sunak may not have been architect of the turmoil, but he does lead the party that was.
But beyond saying, as he has repeatedly, “mistakes were made”, the new prime minister didn’t seem to want to have an honest conversation with the public about the mess his predecessor made, even though they are living with the consequences – consequences that could become harder by the end of week.
I asked him six times if he wanted – or thought he ought – to apologise to the public for those mistakes. Each time he demurred.
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In an interview with political editor Beth Rigby, PM Rishi Sunak has refused to apologise for the economic turmoil Liz Truss’s short-lived government caused for the UK.
It tells us that Mr Sunak is still worrying about internal party politics and is perhaps more worried about this in the short term than public reception to him and his autumn statement.
The bristling is already beginning. Twenty-eight MPs have written to Jeremy Hunt imploring him not to cut education spending while Truss backers – such as former cabinet minister Simon Clarke and former leader Iain Duncan Smith – are warning against tax rises.
This is a PM that can ill afford to poke the bear right now.
But at some point, particularly as the recession bites and energy bills rise and mortgage repayments for many homeowners spike, won’t there be a day of reckoning for the Tory party?
And will the PM have to own it, whether he was the architect or not?
World
UK joins NATO operation to bolster Europe’s eastern flank after Russian drone incursions into Poland
NATO is to bolster Europe’s eastern flank, including the use of UK military resources, after Russia’s “reckless and unacceptable” violation of Polish airspace.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte announced operation ‘Eastern Sentry’ on Friday, involving the deployment of equipment on the border with Belarus, Russia and Ukraine to deter potential Russian aggression.
Poland shot down Russian drones which flew over the country on Wednesday, something the military alliance has portrayed as an attempt by Moscow to test NATO’s military response.
It underlines long-held concerns about the potential expansion of Russia’s three-year war in Ukraine.
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Michael Clarke: Russia looking to frighten NATO
Russia said its drones went astray because they were jammed, but European leaders believe the incursions were a deliberate provocation by Russia.
“It’s reckless and unacceptable. We can’t have Russian drones entering allied airspace,” Mr Rutte told a news conference.
Mark Rutte described Russian drones entering Polish airspace as ‘reckless’. Pic: Reuters
He added that allies, including the UK, France, Germany and Denmark, have so far committed to the mission with others set to join.
In a statement, the UK’s Ministry of Defence said: “The UK is fully committed to playing our part in NATO’s Eastern Sentry following the reckless and dangerous airspace violations by Russia”. It added that the details of the UK’s contribution would be announced soon.
Yvette Cooper visited Ukraine on Friday, her first visit to the country since becoming foreign secretary after a cabinet shake-up by Sir Keir Starmer.
Ms Cooper described her trip, which included a meeting with the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as a demonstration of solidarity with Ukraine.
“The UK will not stand idly by as Putin continues his barbaric invasion of Ukraine,” Ms Cooper said, noting what she said was the Russian president’s “complete disregard for sovereignty” by sending drones into NATO airspace.
Yvette Cooper met Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Friday. Pic: Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters
Pic: Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters
Prince Harry also made a surprise visit to Kyiv on Friday, where he met with wounded service members.
NATO already has substantial forces in eastern Europe, including thousands of troops, but the alliance did not explain how many additional forces would be involved in the new operation.
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Prince Harry’s surprise visit to Ukraine
Speaking at the alliance’s Brussels headquarters, US General Alexus Grynkewich told reporters the additional resources will enable the alliance to “plug gaps in the line” and concentrate forces wherever they’re needed while improving communications across NATO’s entire eastern flank.
NATO detailed a modest number of additional military assets – including two F-16 fighter jets and a frigate from Denmark, three Rafale fighter jets from France and four Eurofighter jets from Germany.
The announcement also coincided with a joint military exercise involving thousands of Russian and Belarusian troops, which began on Friday.
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Meanwhile, new measures were announced by the UK against Russia on Friday.
They included bans on 70 vessels the UK says are part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” that transports Russian oil in defiance of sanctions.
Some 30 individuals and companies – including Chinese and Turkey-based firms – were also sanctioned for their part in supplying Russia with electronics, chemicals, explosives and other weapons components.
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Donald Tusk, the Polish prime minister, dismissed Donald Trump’s suggestion that the drone incursion into Poland may have been “a mistake”.
“We would also wish that the drone attack on Poland was a mistake,” Mr Tusk wrote on X. “But it wasn’t. And we know it.”
US-led efforts to steer Moscow and Kyiv toward a peace settlement have so far failed to progress.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said talks to end the war were currently on “pause” even though channels of communication remain open.
Thousands of troops are taking part in a joint military exercise between Russia and Belarus, as tensions with the EU run high following a Russian drone incursion into Polish airspace earlier this week.
The Zapad joint military exercise which began on Friday will involve drills in both Russia and Belarus as well as in the Baltic and Barents seas, the Russian defence ministry said.
Belarusian defence officials initially said about 13,000 troops would participate in the drill, but in May, its defence ministry said that would be cut nearly in half.
It comes just two days after Poland, with support from its NATO allies, shot down Russian drones over its airspace.
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Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Friday morning hit back at a suggestion by US President Donald Trump on Thursday that the incursion may have been a “mistake”.
He said in a post on X: “We would also wish that the drone attack on Poland was a mistake. But it wasn’t. And we know it.”
Russia said its forces had been attacking Ukraine at the time of the incursions and that it had not intended to hit any targets in Poland.
Friday also saw Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper travelling to Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv on the same day the UK announced fresh sanctions against Moscow.
Prince Harry was also in Kyiv for a surprise visit to help with the recovery of military personnel seriously injured in the three-year war with Russia.
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Prince Harry arrives in Kyiv
Ms Cooper, who was appointed foreign secretary last week, posted about her visit on X saying: “The UK’s support for Ukraine is steadfast. I am pleased to be in Kyiv on my first visit as Foreign Secretary.”
The UK’s new sanctions include bans on 70 vessels that Britain says are part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” that transports Russian oil in defiance of sanctions already in place.
Yvette Cooper with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. Pic: Valentyn Ogirenko/PA
Some 30 individuals and companies – including Chinese and Turkey-based firms – have also been sanctioned for their part in supplying Russia with electronics, chemicals, explosives and other weapons components.
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Meanwhile on the frontline, Ukrainian drones struck Russia’s oil-loading Primorsk port overnight, an SBU official said.
The attack caused fires and suspended oil-loading operations, the official added.
Russian defence systems also intercepted and destroyed 221 Ukrainian drones overnight.
Prince Harry has made a surprise visit to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, a spokesperson for the royal has said.
Harry, who served 10 years in the British Army, visited the city at the invitation of the Ukrainian government.
The Duke of Sussex travelled to the capital to help with the recovery of military personnel seriously injured in the three-year war with Russia.
Pic: Railway of Ukraine Ukrzaliznytsia/AP
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper will also be travelling to Kyiv on Friday in what will be her first foreign trip since being appointed to the job last week.
Her visit coincides with the UK launching a new package of Russia-related sanctions targeting ships carrying Russian oil as well as companies and individuals supplying electronics, chemicals and explosives used to make Russian weapons.
It comes as Russia and Belarus began a major joint military exercise on on NATO’s doorstep on Friday, just two days after Poland, with support from its NATO allies, shot down suspected Russian drones over its airspace.
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Drones shot down in Poland
The Zapad-2025 exercise – a show of force by Russia and its close ally – will involve drills in both countries and in the Baltic and Barents seas, the Russian defence ministry said.
Meanwhile on the frontline, Russian defence systems intercepted and destroyed 221 Ukrainian drones overnight,
including nine over the Moscow region, the ministry said on Friday.
The duke told the Guardian while on an overnight train to Kyiv: “We cannot stop the war but what we can do is do everything we can to help the recovery process.
“We can continue to humanise the people involved in this war and what they are going through.
“We have to keep it in the forefront of people’s minds. I hope this trip will help to bring it home to people because it’s easy to become desensitised to what has been going on.”
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Harry, who served two tours in Afghanistan, previously travelled to Ukraine in April, when he visited war victims as part of his work with wounded veterans.
The prince visited the Superhumans Center, an orthopaedic clinic in Lviv that treats and rehabilitates wounded military personnel and civilians.
Earlier this week, Harry said the King is “great” after he reunited with him at Clarence House for a private tea.
It was their first meeting in 19 months and lasted just 54 minutes.
The last time the father and son saw each other was in February 2024 when the prince flew to the UK after the monarch announced his cancer diagnosis.
Harry and his wife Meghan Markle have lived in California since they quit roles as senior working royals in March 2020.
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