Sunak warns of 'dangerous years' ahead and says he can keep British families 'secure' in pre-election pitch to voters

13 May 2024, 11:53 | Updated: 13 May 2024, 12:04

Rishi Sunak told voters today that "the next few years will be some of the most dangerous… our country has ever known" as he delivered a major speech in London in a pre-election pitch.

He said the next few years will be “transformational” as he warned of global conflicts and the rise of AI technology.

He told people "more will change in the next five years than in the last 30" as he compared the rise of AI to technological breakthroughs of the Industrial Revolution.

But he issued an alert over the volatile global landscape, saying Russia's war in Ukraine has taken us closer to nuclear escalation than any point since the Cuban Missile Crisis.

He said there was a "profound sense of urgency" in the need to address the challenges facing the country.

"More will change in the next five years than the last 30," he said.

"I'm convinced that the next few years will be some of the most dangerous yet the most transformational that our country has ever known."

He warned "the dangers that threaten our country are real" and "they are increasing in number".

He said there is war in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

And he added that Russian leader Vladimir Putin's "recklessness has taken us closer to a dangerous nuclear escalation than at any point since the Cuban Missile Crisis".

The paradox of our age is that for all the profound dangers that we face, right now we also hold in our hands an opportunity for human progress that could surpass the industrial revolution in speed and breadth.

"Technologies like AI will do for the 21st century what the steam engine and electricity did for the 19th."

“Our country stands at a crossroads.

"Over the next few years from our democracy to our society to our economy to the hardest questions of war and peace, almost every aspect of our lives is going to change.

"And how we act in the face of those changes, not only to keep people safe and secure but to realise the opportunities too, will determine whether or not Britain will succeed in the years to come."

Ending his speech he said: “My pledge to you is that I will help you fulfil your ambitions. To create that dynamic innovative economy for a more financial and secure life for your family.

“You can trust me to keep you and your family secure from threats we face abroad. We can and we will create a secure future.”

It comes as the Tories faced yet more scrutiny ahead of the general election, with deputy foreign secretary Andrew Mitchell hitting out at Labour defector Natalie Elphicke after she denied claims that she tried to lobby the Justice Secretary over the trial of her sex offender ex-husband.

Mr Mitchell said Ms Elphicke was "already presenting very serious problems" for Labour, after her defection earlier in the week.

As part of the speech, the PM will appeal to voters and highlight that the next five years will see the UK face increasing dangers at home and abroad, with the UK now standing at a "crossroads".

He will also set out his plan to harness the power of artificial intelligence should the Conservatives be re-elected, vowing to "rebuild" the "confidence and pride" of the British public.

Read more: Natalie Elphicke 'lobbied Justice Secretary over sex offender ex-husband's trial'

Read more: New Labour MP Natalie Elphicke apologises over comments she made about her ex-husband's victims

Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron on Sunday argued it would be "absolutely right" for the general election to be held in the second half of the year to give voters time to see "the economic plan is working".

Talking up the Conservatives' chances, he said: "I think you've got a very clear choice opening up, and that's what happens as you get to the end of a parliament. It stops being a referendum on the Government every day and it starts being a choice between two teams."

Labour's national campaign co-ordinator Pat McFadden said: "Nothing the Prime Minister says will change the fact that over the past 14 years, the Conservatives have brought costly chaos to the country, with this being the only Parliament in living memory where people's standard of living will be lower at the end of it than the beginning.

"The Tories crashed the economy by using the country for a giant and reckless economic experiment, for which the British people are still paying the price.

"Even as the Prime Minister speaks, others in his party are positioning themselves to replace him.

"The only way to stop the chaos, turn the page and start to renew is with a change of Government.

"The Conservatives can't fix the country's problems because they are the problem. Another five years of them would not change anything for the better."