Rishi Sunak has warned the UK’s problems will not “go away” in 2023 after a “tough” 12 months in his New Year message.
The prime minister promised the “very best of Britain” will be on display in the coming months as he pledged continuing support for Ukraine.
And he also predicted King Charles’s coronation on 6 May would bring the country together.
But he admitted last year was “tough”.
“Just as we recovered from an unprecedented global pandemic, Russia launched a barbaric and illegal invasion across Ukraine,” Mr Sunak said.
“This has had a profound economic impact around the world, which the UK is not immune to.
“Now, I know many of you have felt that impact at home. That’s why this government has taken difficult but fair decisions to get borrowing and debt under control.
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“And it’s because of those decisions that we’ve been able to help the most vulnerable with the rising cost of energy bills.”
The PM, who only entered Number 10 in October after Liz Truss’s short-lived premiership, added: “Three months ago, I stood at the steps of Downing Street and promised I would work relentlessly on the things that matter most to you.
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“Since then, this government has taken decisive action to back our NHS with record resources to tackle the backlogs – more funding, more doctors, and more nurses.
“We’re also tackling illegal migration and stopping criminals from abusing our asylum system.”
Image: Rishi Sunak only became prime minister in October
Mr Sunak said he was “not going to pretend that all our problems will go away in the new year” but said 2023 is an opportunity to “showcase the very best of Britain on the world stage”.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer used his New Year message to also acknowledge it had been a “very tough year” and said the UK “needs to change”.
Sir Keir, whose party is polling much higher than the Conservatives, mentioned the Queen’s death and the Lionesses’ Euro 22 success.
Image: Sir Keir Starmer’s party is soaring ahead in the polls
While he said the UK must continue to support Ukraine, he said next year is a “new chapter” for the country ahead of the coronation.
And he said Labour will continue to make the case for a “new Britain” that will fix struggling public services and “grow the economy for everyone”.
Promising to “restore faith” in politics as a “force for good”, he said: “For Britain to become a fairer, greener, more dynamic country – we need a completely new way of doing politics.
“After everything we’ve been through together, that’s what Britain deserves.”
Image: Sir Ed Davey said he is looking ahead to the new year with hope
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey also said times are “tough” but said the new year is an “opportunity to turn the page and look ahead”.
“Although things are tough for millions, I sense change is possible – so I look to the new year with hope and optimism,” he added.
Donald Trump has criticised Vladimir Putin and suggested a shift in his stance towards the Russian president after a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy before the Pope’s funeral.
The Ukrainian president said the one-on-one talks could prove to be “historic” after pictures showed him sitting opposite Mr Trump, around two feet apart, in the large marble hall inside St Peter’s Basilica.
The US president said he doubted his Russian counterpart’s willingness to end the war after leaving Rome after the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, he said “there was no reason” for the Russian president “to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days”.
Image: The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral
He added: “It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!”
The meeting between the US and Ukrainian leaders was their first face-to-face encounter since a very public row in the Oval Office in February.
Mr Zelenskyy said he had a good meeting with Mr Trump in which they talked about the defence of the Ukrainian people, a full and unconditional ceasefire, and a durable and lasting peace that would prevent the war restarting.
Other images released by the Ukrainian president’s office show Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron were present for part of the talks, which were described as “positive” by the French presidency.
Mr Zelenskyy‘s spokesman said the meeting lasted for around 15 minutes and he and Mr Trump had agreed to hold further discussions later on Saturday.
Image: The world leaders shared a moment before the service
Image: Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet in the Basilica
But the US president left Rome for Washington on Air Force One soon after the funeral without any other talks having taken place.
The Ukrainian president’s office said there was no second meeting in Rome because of the tight schedule of both leaders, although he had separate discussions with Mr Starmer and Mr Macron.
The French president said in a post on X “Ukraine is ready for an unconditional ceasefire” and that a so-called coalition of the willing, led by the UK and France, would continue working to achieve a lasting peace.
There was applause from some of the other world leaders in attendance at the Vatican when Mr Zelenskyy walked out of St Peter’s Basilica after stopping in front of the pontiff’s coffin to pay his respects.
Image: Donald Trump and the Ukrainian president met for the first time since their Oval Office row. Pic: Reuters
Sir Tony Brenton, the former British ambassador to Russia, said the event presents diplomatic opportunities, including the “biggest possible meeting” between Mr Trump and the Ukrainian leader.
He told Sky News it could mark “an important step” in starting the peace process between Russia and Ukraine.
Professor Father Francesco Giordano told Sky News the meeting is being called “Pope Francis’s miracle” by members of the clergy, adding: “There’s so many things that happened today – it was just overwhelming.”
The bilateral meeting comes after Mr Trump’s peace negotiator Steve Witkoff held talks with Mr Putin at the Kremlin.
They discussed “the possibility of resuming direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine”, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said.
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On an extraordinary day, remarkable pictures on the margins that capture what may be a turning point for the world.
In a corner of St Peter’s Basilica before the funeral of Pope Francis, the leaders of America and Ukraine sit facing each other in two solitary chairs.
They look like confessor and sinner except we cannot tell which one is which.
In another, the Ukrainian president seems to be remonstrating with the US president. This is their first encounter since their infamous bust-up in the Oval Office.
Image: The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral
Other pictures show the moment their French and British counterparts introduced the two men. There is a palpable sense of nervousness in the way the leaders engage.
We do not know what the two presidents said in their brief meeting.
But in the mind of the Ukrainian leader will be the knowledge President Trump has this week said America will reward Russia for its unprovoked brutal invasion of his country, under any peace deal.
Mr Trump has presented Ukraine and Russia with a proposal and ultimatum so one-sided it could have been written in the Kremlin.
Kyiv must surrender the land Russia has taken by force, Crimea forever, the rest at least for now. And it must submit to an act of extortion, a proposed deal that would hand over half its mineral wealth effectively to America.
Image: The world leaders shared a moment before the service
Afterwards, Zelenskyy said it had been a good meeting that could turn out to be historic “if we reach results together”.
They had talked, he said, about the defence of Ukraine, a full and unconditional ceasefire and a durable and lasting peace that will prevent a war restarting.
The Trump peace proposal includes only unspecified security guarantees for Ukraine from countries that do not include the US. It rules out any membership of Ukraine.
Ukraine’s allies are watching closely to see if Mr Trump will apply any pressure on Vladimir Putin, let alone punish him for recent bloody attacks on Ukraine.
Or will he simply walk away if the proposal fails, blaming Ukrainian intransigence, however outrageously, before moving onto a rapprochement with Moscow.
If he does, America’s role as guarantor of international security will be seen effectively as over.
This could be the week we see the world order as we have known it since the end of the Second World War buried, as well as a pope.