Faced with a wave of strikes across the UK, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has dispensed with the traditional Christmas speech. Instead, he surprised several government officials with personal connections, Downing Street said. Sunak tweeted today: “To all Brits working on Christmas – thank you. Whether you are in Mogadishu or Milton Keynes I am personally grateful for your commitment.”
Commentators say Sunak wanted to show the great value he places on public service. Unions accuse the government of refusing reasonable wage increases.
Christmas is overshadowed by numerous strikes in Britain this year. Many people have not received any Christmas mail or parcels as Royal Mail staff have been away from work for weeks. Strikes on the railroads and among border officials make visiting relatives difficult. There are also frequent strikes in many other sectors, such as the health sector.
Somalia, Pakistan and Ukraine
According to the government, Sunak called diplomats in Somalia, Pakistan and Ukraine, as well as the head of a state-sponsored charity in London. He also called the icebreaker’s crew “HMS Protector”, which currently operates in the South Sandwich Islands, near Antarctica, and supplies the scientists there, among other things.
Sunak has been in charge since October. The 42-year-old wanted to spend his first Christmas as Prime Minister in his constituency of Richmond, in the North Yorkshire county of northern England.
King Charles’s First Christmas Speech
King Charles III meanwhile recorded his first Christmas speech as monarch near his mother’s tomb. As the Palace announced last night, the speech at St George’s Chapel in Windsor was recorded. His mother, Elizabeth II, who died, was buried a few months ago under the church in the grounds of Windsor Castle.
The palace has yet to provide information about the content of the speech. In his first address to the nation, immediately after his mother’s death in September, Charles expressed sentiments about the late queen. The death of Elizabeth II is also expected to occupy a large space in this speech.