Rishi Sunak admits he has failed to meet NHS waiting-list pledge

Rishi Sunak has admitted that he has “failed” to meet his pledge to cut NHS waiting lists, which was one of the five priorities he laid out at the start of 2023.

Since then, the number of people waiting for treatment has gone up by half a million.

Elsewhere, Mr Sunak hailed a “special opportunity” for Northern Ireland as he began a visit to mark the return of powersharing at Stormont.

The Prime Minister and Irish premier Leo Varadkar will meet, along with the leaders of the new powersharing Executive which was formed on Saturday for the first time in two years.

Power sharing was reinstated after the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) lifted its boycott concerning post-Brexit trade regulations.

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