Rishi Sunak's first 100 days in office: From inflation and unrest to levelling up and strikes

The new Prime Minister, who will mark 100 days in office today (Feb 2), succeeded in his immediate aim of bringing back order to financial markets, after the catastrophic premiership of Liz Truss sent the pound tumbling and borrowing costs soaring.

But he was immediately faced with a daunting set of challenges, from sky-rocketing inflation to unrest on the Tory backbenches.

Among the public, there was a sense that Britain is somehow not working as the biggest wave of strike action in more than a generation hit public services while the NHS was caught up in a winter crisis.

At the same time, Mr Sunak has had to endure a series of scandals engulfing senior ministers, while suffering the personal embarrassment of being fined for failing to wear a seat belt.

As chancellor of the exchequer under Boris Johnson, Mr Sunak made his name with bold action, with the unprecedented furlough scheme credited with saving millions of jobs as Covid-19 brought the economy juddering to a standstill.

But as Prime Minister he has been notably more cautious.

Despite enjoying a nominal Commons majority of around 70 when he became Prime Minister, he appears acutely aware that a significant section of his own MPs is far from reconciled to his leadership.

He got the top job without a vote after none of the other contenders came forward with the requisite number of nominations.

However he is bitterly resented by some supporters of Mr Johnson, while others have questioned his commitment to Brexit or cutting taxes. Fear of backbench revolts has seen a series of U-turns rather than risk confrontations he knew he could well lose.

The need to placate the competing wings of his party, both critics and allies, has seen questions raised over whether some of his ministerial choices were really consistent with the promise he made on the steps of Downing St to restore “integrity, professionalism and accountability”.

He was widely criticised for bringing back Suella Braverman as Home Secretary just days after she was sacked by Ms Truss for leaking classified material.

Dominic Raab remains as Deputy Prime Minister amid an ongoing investigation into complaints by officials of bullying, but another key ally, Sir Gavin Williamson, was forced to quit as a Cabinet Office minister over a series of abusive messages to the chief whip.

As for Nadhim Zahawi, he was sacked by Mr Sunak after an ethics inquiry sparked by reports he had paid a penalty to settle a multimillion-pound tax claim. Mr Sunak lost no time in firing him after the report said the Conservative chairman had committed a “serious breach of the Ministerial Code”.

One area where Mr Sunak has stood firm is the economy. It has helped that he and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt are clearly on the same page.

Both have stressed the importance of tackling inflation and getting the public finances back on a sustainable path, resisting demands for tax cuts and for more money to settle the pay claims of nurses and other public service workers.

For many Tories, however, the real problem remains the lack of any real signs of recovery in the party’s fortunes, with the polls putting them on course for a drubbing at the next general election – which may come in little over a year’s time. With Mr Johnson said to be eyeing a comeback, the next 100 days could be as testing for Mr Sunak as the last.

Here’s how those first 100 days played out...

Oct 25 2022: Mr Sunak set out appointing his Cabinet, promising to fix the “mistakes” of the Truss administration after her disastrous mini-budget sent the markets into turmoil and forced the Bank of England to intervene. But his picks immediately caused controversy as Suella Braverman returned to Cabinet despite her resignation only days before.

Nov 7: Mr Sunak travelled to Cop27 to meet world leaders and address the climate conference after angering campaigners by initially declining to attend. Mr Sunak eventually relented and travelled to Egypt. He used the conference to hold an early meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Nov 8: Mr Sunak lost a Cabinet minister early into his tenure. Ally Sir Gavin Williamson resigned after allegations he sent expletive-laden messages to former chief whip Wendy Morton and an accusation of “unethical and immoral” behaviour while he was chief whip.

Nov 14: The Prime Minister and Home Secretary hailed a new deal with France over migrant crossings, which agreed that for the first time British officers would be stationed in French control rooms and on the approaches to beaches to observe operations.

Nov 16: Deputy prime minister Dominic Raab, who took up his old position as Justice Secretary, found himself facing a bullying inquiry after complaints. That inquiry is still ongoing, with Mr Raab’s long-term fate yet to be decided.

Nov 17: Mr Sunak and his Chancellor Jeremy Hunt sought to put into practice their promises to sooth the financial markets and return financial credibility to the UK. Kwasi Kwarteng’s replacement set out a £55bn package of tax hikes and spending cuts.

Nov 19: Mr Sunak made his first visit to Ukraine, holding talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky and reiterating the UK’s backing for the war-torn country. Mr Sunak also announcing a £50m package of defence aid for Ukraine.

Dec 2: Mr Sunak suffered his first electoral defeat as Prime Minister as Labour won the City of Chester by-election

Dec 6: In early December the Prime Minister bowed to pressure from Tory backbenchers to relent on the construction of new onshore wind farms. The Government also watered down local housebuilding targets to avoid a Commons rebellion.

Dec 15: Tens of thousands of nurses across England, Wales and Northern Ireland staged their first national walkout, as Mr Sunak and his Government failed to resolve a dispute over pay and working conditions. The Government was accused of intransigence.

Dec 16: Mr Sunak suffered another defeat at the ballot box after Labour swept to a comfortable victory in the Stretford and Urmston by-election.

Dec 22: Mr Sunak appointed Sir Laurie Magnus as the new independent adviser on ministerial interests. Mr Sunak was criticised for not going further and giving the adviser the power to start their own investigation without permission from the prime minister of the day.

Jan 4 2023: Mr Sunak attempted to set out a fresh vision for his premiership, pledging to halve inflation this year, grow the economy, make sure national debt is falling, cut NHS waiting lists and pass new laws to stop small boats. But the speech was criticised for offering only vague timescales.

Jan 7: Amid a hugely difficult winter for the NHS, Mr Sunak held emergency talks at Downing Street. Late December and early January were dominated by increasingly grim warnings about the state of the health service amid a wave of strikes and high levels of flu and coronavirus.

Jan 9: Crisis talks between ministers and unions failed to resolve industrial disputes involving nurses, teachers and rail workers. Discussions between union leaders and various departments raised hopes a breakthrough could see an end to the biggest wave of strikes to hit the UK in decades. But the talks produced little of note.

Jan 9: News of an agreement with the EU on post-Brexit data-sharing raised hopes of a final deal on the Northern Ireland Protocol, which has upset day-to-day politics at Stormont and caused tension between London and Brussels for months.

Jan 20: In a widely mocked incident, Mr Sunak was issued with a fixed penalty notice by Lancashire Police after he was spotted not wearing his seatbelt in an Instagram video he filmed to promote levelling-up.

Jan 29: After days of questioning and controversy about Nadhim Zahawi’s tax affairs, Mr Sunak sacked the Tory chairman after an ethics investigation found he had committed a “serious breach of the Ministerial Code”. Mr Zahawi had faced damaging reports he had settled an estimated £4.8m bill with HM Revenue & Customs while he was chancellor, including paying a penalty. The row had dragged on for days, causing headaches for Downing Street.