Revealing the intimate details andinner revealing the intimate details and inner workings of the royal family during the coronation and Manchester United came from two nil down last night to secure a late win against aston villa , late win against aston villa, but the manager was being sacked at half time. Is his future secure . And celebrate your 2024 in style come january , the first style come january, the first wine will be sold in pint sized bottles thanks to what the government called post brexit freedoms. Freedoms. Good morning to you. Thank good morning to you. Thank you for joining good morning to you. Thank you forjoining us on this you for joining us on this wednesday, 27th of december for what it did you get for christmas. Any naff presents . Thats the big talking point this morning. Any old links africa sets that you would have got as year old teenager got as a 15 year old teenager that still getting now . That youre still getting now . One got her wife some one husband got her wife some anti wrinkle cream. We want to know what you got any absolute disasters in terms of the presents. Let us know gb views presents. Let us know gb views at gb news. Com leave your name and any pictures and also where youre news youre from. But first the news headunes youre from. But first the News Headlines with sam francis. Ben headlines with sam francis. Ben pip thank you very much. Good morning im sam francis in the gb news room. The headlines at nine. The prospect of a general election in the spring is growing, with labour moving on to a campaign footing. Its being reported footing. Its being reported that has told his that keir starmer has told his top team to finalise their manifesto plans within weeks. Manifesto plans within weeks. The labour leader has also told his shadow ministers to have their policy proposals by their policy proposals ready by mid january. Well, that comes as mid january. Well, that comes as reports have emerged that downing street is considering axing inheritance tax and reducing income tax. Cutting reducing income tax. Cutting inheritance tax would create a dividing line with labour, who are believed to be against the cut. But the move is one of a handful of attention grabbing pledges. The number 10 is hoping will boost rishi sunaks chances of a win in an election. The Prime Minister has said he intends to a general intends to call a general election in but opinion is election in 2024, but opinion is split on whether it will come in the spring or the autumn. The spring or the autumn. Commuters could face train cancellations and flooded roads as storm garrett hits the uk. Yellow weather alerts are in place across the uk , threatening place across the uk, threatening to bring flooding and power cuts. Scotrail says passengers can expect long delays and cancellations from high winds and heavy rains. Passengers are and heavy rains. Passengers are also travelling home for christmas after Christmas Eve, but theyre being warned to check their journeys ahead of time and travel only if its necessary. Storm garrett is the seventh named storm of the current season, which started in september , and it runs until september, and it runs until august next year. Meanwhile, christmas rail disruption is continuing to allow for Engineering Works. London paddington station remains closed after affecting journeys to and from south wales , to and from south wales, bristol, the west country and heathrow airport. London, Victoria Station, though has no Southeastern Services until the 1st of january. Brit will soon be able to buy new pint sized bottles of still and sparkling wine in the uk. Bottles of still and sparkling wine in the uk. Thats as part wine in the uk. Thats as part of a new proposal post brexit freedom. A new 568 mil amount freedom. A new 568 mil amount will appear on supermarket shelves, as well as pubs, clubs and restaurants. The government and restaurants. The government says the move will offer more flexibility and choice for customers. Champagne pint customers. Champagne pint bottles were sold in the uk until 1973, but they stopped production as they didnt comply with eu weights and measures. With eu weights and measures. You can get more on all of those stories by visiting our website gbnews. Com now though, back to pip and ben. Good morning. Pip and ben. Good morning. Great to have your company this morning on britains newsroom. Hope youve been able to relax the last couple of days and relax while youre watching and relax while youre watching and listening to us this morning. Lets start with politics, because in a major speech in january, this year, the Prime Minister said he would halve inflation, grow the economy , Lower National debt, economy, Lower National debt, shorten nhs waiting times and stop Asylum Seekers crossing the channel on small boats. And now, today again, were seeing talk of spring tax cuts, including ditching the dreaded inheritance tax. All in order to smooth over voters. So when looking back at rishi sunaks five pledges, how many of them has he achieved . Has he achieved . Our Political Correspondent olivia utley lee tells us more. So i want to make five promises to you today. To you today. Five pledges to deliver peace of mind. Five foundations on of mind. Five foundations on which to build a Better Future for our children and grandchildren. Grandchildren. When rishi sunak laid out his five pledges in a speech to journalists back in january, it was widely believed in westminster that he was being unambitious. But 12 months on unambitious. But 12 months on and the goals to halve inflation, grow the economy, cut, national cut, nhs cut, National Debt, cut, nhs waiting lists and stop the boats remain to a varying extent unfulfilled. And as pledged, unfulfilled. And as pledged, inflation has halved this year from a high of 10. 7 at the end of last year to around 4 now. But thats the end of the unalloyed good news. Despite jeremy hunts get back to work spnng jeremy hunts get back to work Spring Budget, jeremy hunts get back to work Spring Budget , the economy has Spring Budget, the economy has stubbornly failed to grow for most of the year , growth has most of the year, growth has hovered around the zero mark, meaning we are permanently teetering on the edge of a recession. And theres bad news recession. And theres bad news in the National Debt quarter, too. Far from falling, economists suggest that debt economists now suggest that debt is , and the obr has is skyrocketing, and the obr has said the current trajectory said that the current trajectory is unsustainable. Meanwhile nhs is unsustainable. Meanwhile nhs waiting lists reached an all time high of an eye watering 7. 7 million last month, and with demand back to pre pandemic levels, they dont set to levels, they dont look set to shnnk levels, they dont look set to shrink time soon. To shrink any time soon. To compound problem , nhs nurses compound the problem, nhs nurses and doctors have been striking on and off all year and doctors at least look set to continue well into 2024. As for stopping the boats. Polls suggest that the boats. Polls suggest that the public believe a sunak has failed on this pledge too, though that may be a little unfair. The data shows that there has actually been a 30 drop in crossings. This year compared to last. It is perhaps hardly a surprising view, friend on that point. On foreign courts, the conservative is in Civil Conservative Party is in civil war mode over the rwanda scheme, which set to be bogged which looks set to be bogged down parliament for many down in parliament for many months to come. Down in parliament for many mo meanwhile,e. Starmer meanwhile, keir starmer is coming his own solutions. The governments lost control of our borders. I think the way to the boats is to smash to stop the boats is to smash the gangs that are the criminal gangs that are running trade of running the vile trade of putting in the boats in putting people in the boats in the first place. Start of the year, the at the start of the year, the Prime Minister to judge Prime Minister asked us to judge him he delivered him purely on how he delivered on pledges. He on his five key pledges. He cleverly gave himself some wiggle room in the run up to the general with the general election, with the exception inflation, exception of halving inflation, he any he deliberately didnt set any deadunes. He deliberately didnt set any deadlines. But 12 months on, and deadlines. But 12 months on, and with popularity ratings at an all low, sunak is all too all time low, sunak is all too aware that time is fast running out. Olivia utley e gb news. And olivia joins us now from westminster. Olivia, do you westminster. Olivia, do you foresee a spring election . Foresee a spring election . Well, thats the question on everyones lips in westminster at the moment. The thinking for at the moment. The thinking for a long time has been that the conservatives will wait it out for as long as they can. They are expecting the election to be pretty catastrophic for them. But most conservative mps ive spoken to think that if they can hold off until the end of next yean hold off until the end of next year, then there is at least a glimmer of hope. The logic behind that is that as the year progressed, inflation will continue to go down, which will ease the cost of living crisis a little bit, at least Interest Rates will slowly, slowly start to come down over the course of this year, which will take a little bit of pressure off from mortgage holders. But on the other hand, the issue with waiting is that the poll ratings dont seem to be going anywhere. Rishi sunak popularity has actually gone down since he got into office a year ago, and the conservatives are as a whole are still hovering around the around the 20 mark. And theres another school of thought which believes that, well, theres going to be a set of local elections in the spnng a set of local elections in the spring and wouldnt it be better for the conservatives to pre empt what is set to be a pretty bruising round of elections and rip off the band aid with the general election in april or may . And as we were heanng april or may . And as we were hearing in the news there, there is some evidence that that might be the way ministers are thinking at the moment, that there talking now about scrapping inheritance tax, something which has been on the books for a long time, but it sounds as though plans are now properly being drawn up. Is that because they are planning to go to country in may . The other to the country in may . The other evidence suggest could evidence to suggest that could be is jeremy hunt be the case is jeremy hunt brought a big tax cutting brought in a big tax cutting measure his autumn budget. So measure in his autumn budget. So theres £0. 02 cut to National Insurance tax, which will actually make a real difference to the, uh, Purse Strings of the average worker. And interestingly, he tabled emergency legislation to implement that change in january. Normally, tax changes like that would be saved for the start of the tax year in april. But as hes choosing to do it so early with this dramatic piece of emergency legislation, could it be that he is hoping that the general public feels the effects of that change before an election and starts to feel a little bit more warmly to the conservatives . Rishi sunak is the only person who can tell us when the when a general election will be so the speculation is bound to continue for at least a few months. But generally the feeling in westminster is beginning to shift from its surely going to be the end of the year to it. Well, might be the year to it. Well, might be the beginning of the year, and we should remind ourselves, shouldnt we . That polling shows the that latest polling shows the tories some 20 points behind behind labour. So its a case of whether these pledges that were heanng whether these pledges that were hearing about today , these hearing about today, these attempts to woo the Younger Voters , those scrapping voters, those scrapping inheritance tax as well, are they going to shift the polls in any shape or form . Any shape or form . I mean , well have to wait i mean, well have to wait and see. It feels pretty unlikely at the moment. A couple of things that the conservatives are are planning , as well as are are planning, as well as scrapping inheritance tax, is possibly scrapping stamp duty. Now, there are lots of conservatives who have said for a long time that stamp duty is a bad tax because it gums up the property market, and the thinking is that it would give First Time Buyers a real start up the ladder. If stamp duty were to be scrapped. That said , were to be scrapped. That said, it only applies to houses worth over £425,000. I think it is. So over £425,000. I think it is. So it really is. Most beneficial to those in london and the south east is it really possible at this stage when they are, as you say, 20 points behind in the polls for the tories to whip up some sort of a rabbit out of the hat, which will turn around their fortunes and win them a general election . Well, maybe, but dont think scrapping but i dont think scrapping inheritance going to be it. Okay. Olivia utley political okay. Olivia utley Political Correspondent. Thanks ever so much for your insight. Well, much for your insight. Well, lets get some more insight now because joining us his because joining us for his reflections on rishi sunaks year as Prime Minister is former editor of the labourlist. Peter edwards. Peter, it might help if edwards. Peter, it might help if we just sort of go through some some of these pledges. But first of all, youre or your overall analysis of what rishi sunak has or has not achieved. Well, hes restored a level of competence in the eyes of his supporters and a level of integrity after the scandals of bofis integrity after the scandals of Boris Johnson and the chaos of liz truss. But whether youre on the left or unaligned, you , you left or unaligned, you, you would have to say that hes not making on those making progress on those pledges. So hes clearly a hard working, decent individual, doesnt drink. But on the Core Measures like are we rich or poorer than ten years ago or five years ago . Our Public Services improving our nhs waiting lists going up and down. Hes on all of these hes struggling on all of these and particularly on inflation. Thatis and particularly on inflation. That is still a problem. Okay. Some these things are but some of these things are out control. Know, out of his control. You know, the pandemic, wasnt in the pandemic, he wasnt in charge pandemic charge when the pandemic happened. We know all happened. We know. We know all about what happened that about what happened there, that there lot of unforeseen there was a lot of unforeseen problems the impact thats problems and the impact thats had weve also had on the economy. Weve also got in ukraine, which got the war in ukraine, which has inevitably affected uk too. Well, rishi sunak was chancellor, so the second most important person in the country at the time of the pandemic. There was a brief period and i thought it was very ill advised where the conservatives tried to thought it was very ill advised where closely nservatives tried to thought it was very ill advised where closely tie rvatives tried to thought it was very ill advised whereclosely tie inflationried to thought it was very ill advised whereclosely tie inflation ind to thought it was very ill advised whereclosely tie inflation in uk more closely tie inflation in uk with the war in ukraine, and clearly the appalling events in ukraine do have some impact, particularly on Energy Particularly on the energy market, actually the roots market, but actually the roots of high inflation. It of britains high inflation. It remains high above the bank of england target go back many years. So, for example, dont years. So, for example, we dont grow own food or grow enough of our own food or theresa may sold off our gas reserves. So the inflation crisis a long time in the crisis is a long time in the making. And sadly, its a long time unwind although time to unwind because although rishi sunak one of his rishi sunak met one of his pledges inflation, its pledges on inflation, its still above prices are going above target prices are going up, not down. Peter, in terms of stopping the boats, which was one of his main pledges and perhaps the most important when it comes to voters. Hes not stopped the voters. Hes not stopped the boats, he has of course boats, but he has of course halved the number of crossings. Some might argue thats because of the weather. Um, can we be generous this christmas and give him semi win on that front . Him a semi win on that front . No, i mean, i dont like talking of winning and talking in terms of winning and losing, but obviously thats how pollsters it. So pollsters will look at it. So around about 28 30,000 boats expected cross this year, expected to cross this year, were nearly at the end. Uh, were nearly at the end. Uh, theres a suggestion in the summer that the peaks and troughs weather troughs that are weather related, than anything related, rather than anything the does, so bad the government does, so bad weather disincentivizes crossing. Concern , crossing. But the other concern, i think, for particularly for people is that i think, for particularly for peo tories is that i think, for particularly for peo tories have is that i think, for particularly for peo tories have expended that i think, for particularly for peo tories have expended a1at i think, for particularly for peo tories have expended a lot the tories have expended a lot of Political Capital on the rwanda scheme to send 1 to 200 people to rwanda if it ever happens, and boat crossings are around 28,000. And if and when rishi does get a plane off the ground for rwanda, how big a victory is that going to be in terms of when it comes to polli