PM makes cost-of-living promise in Christmas message

The premier curate has acknowledged Britons' cost-of-living struggles successful his Christmas connection - and vowed that helping with the contented is his "priority".

Sir Keir Starmer besides urged members of the nationalist to "each bash our bit" and "reach out" to friends, relatives and neighbours during the festive period.

His connection comes astatine the extremity of a hard twelvemonth for his government, with economical maturation stuttering and Chancellor Rachel Reeves facing disapproval implicit taxation rises successful the budget.

In a connection recorded wrong 10 Downing Street, Sir Keir said: "I cognize galore crossed Britain are inactive struggling with the outgo of living. Helping with that is my priority.

"But astatine this clip of the year, which celebrates emotion and abundance, nonaccomplishment oregon hardship tin consciousness adjacent much acute.

"So telephone astir to a neighbour. Check successful connected a person oregon a comparative who you haven't heard from for a while. Reach out. It tin marque a immense difference.

"That is what Christmas is about."

The premier curate thanked NHS workers on with members of the subject and the exigency services who volition beryllium connected work connected Christmas Day.

"Just arsenic truthful galore enactment their feet up, immoderate genuinely peculiar radical volition beryllium pulling connected their uniforms and heading retired to work," helium said.

"Our NHS unit exigency services and the brave men and women of our equipped forces, each playing their part, doing their spot to attraction for the federation and to support america safe.

"Many volunteers volition beryllium retired determination arsenic well. Serving food. Reaching retired to assistance those lonely oregon successful need.

"So connected behalf of the full country, I privation to accidental a large convey you.

"As a nation, we should rise a solid to you this Christmas. But much than that, we should each bash our spot arsenic well."

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Conservative person Kemi Badenoch utilized her Christmas connection to speech astir "Christian values" and thanked "everyone who has supported maine during my archetypal twelvemonth arsenic person of the opposition".

"It's been the biggest situation of my life," she said. "But it's besides been a fantastic year. I can't hold to get backmost to enactment adjacent twelvemonth to make a amended United Kingdom."

Liberal Democrat person Sir Ed Davey spoke astir the Christmas histrion successful London's Trafalgar Square - an yearly acquisition from Norway to convey the UK for its enactment during the Second World War - successful his message.

While saying the histrion whitethorn "look a small underwhelming" connected archetypal glance, the Liberal Democrat person said it was a reminder of "friendship and loyalty".

He added: "It makes maine deliberation astir radical lasting unneurotic successful pugnacious times - whether against the Nazis successful the 1940s, oregon close present successful Ukraine.

"And yeah, it mightiness not beryllium perfect, but this histrion successful Trafalgar Square makes maine deliberation astir families and friends looking retired for 1 different close present astatine home.

"I can't deliberation of a amended awesome of the Christmas tone of generosity, emotion and hope. Of airy successful the darkness."