"Sunak Acknowledges Failure to Address NHS Waiting Lists and Healthcare Pledges"

UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak admitted in a TalkTV interview with Piers Morgan that the government has failed to fulfill its pledge to reduce NHS waiting lists in England, citing the impact of industrial action in the health service. Sunak also defended the policy of sending asylum seekers to Rwanda to deter Channel crossings, and accepted a £1,000 bet that deportation flights would resume before the next election. The admission comes after Sunak set out five priorities in January 2023, including measures on the economy and illegal immigration, with NHS waiting list reduction being one of them. As of November 2023, the overall number of waits for non-emergency care in England stood at around 7.6 million, approximately 400,000 higher than at the start of 2023.