Rishi Sunak insists UK better place to live now than 2010

Rishi Sunak has insisted the UK is a better place to live now than in 2010, when the Conservatives came into government.

In one of his last big interviews before Thursday’s general election, the prime minister said the Covid pandemic and the war in Ukraine had made life “difficult for everyone” but added that the country was now “on the right track”.

Labour said prices in shops, NHS waiting lists and mortgages had risen under the Conservatives and that it was “excruciating to watch Rishi Sunak just gloss over the concerns of ordinary working people”.

Speaking to the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, Mr Sunak rejected a “declinist narrative”, and defended Brexit saying it was “utterly wrong” to suggest the UK had lost its standing in the world since leaving the EU.

Appearing on the same programme, Labour’s election co-ordinator Pat McFadden said he thought relations with the EU could be better but ruled out a return to freedom of movement as part of any negotiations.

He said Labour would not sign up to anything that wasn’t in the UK’s interest.

“The point is to try, the point is to say can we do better than we are doing at present can we deal with some of these barriers to trade affecting so many of our businesses.”

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said the current Brexit deal was “botched” and that her party wanted to see free movement for under-35s to work or study in Europe.

She also suggested immigration was too high but avoided putting a figure on what she thought the limit should be.