Logo of This Morning
itv |

Weekdays 10am-12:30pm

'I want to change things, I want to do things differently' says Rishi Sunak

After making a series of big announcements at the Conservative Party conference on Wednesday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak joined us in the studio on Friday to address his plans from HS2, vaping and a total ban on smoking.

Asked about vaping, the Prime Minister promised there would be a crackdown on how they are marketed, their packaging, where they're displayed and the flavours, whilst he reiterated that vapes would be kept available for adults switching from smoking.

After we announced a new This Morning campaign that we'll be launching in January, aimed at helping children who are turning to vapes, Alison asked if he would support it, to which he replied: 'Definitely, you can hold me to that.'

Whilst adding: 'The last numbers we had showed that one in five teenagers tried vaping earlier this year and we've got to do something about it before it gets far worse.'

Meanwhile, the PM announced earlier this week that the continuation of HS2, a high-speed network linking the Midlands to London, will no longer go ahead. The decision has caused controversy with the construction already being started and land sold to accommodate the government's ambitious project.

Sunak said: 'There's been an enormous amount of disruption' and reassured viewers that the money would go towards other more-needed infrastructure across the UK.'

He said: 'We're going to spend every penny that we would've spent on HS2, every penny of it we're going to spend across the country, in the Midlands, in the North, hundreds of other projects and more on the types of transport that people use every day.'

With doctor's strikes and waiting times higher than ever, the Prime Minister briefly touched on the pressures of the NHS and said: 'I know it's frustrating and that's why one of my five priorities is to bring waiting lists down.'

He added: 'I want to change things, I want to do things differently and ultimately do what I feel is right in the long term.'

Logo of This Morning
itv |

Weekdays 10am-12:30pm