Summary

  • Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirms a review of Post Office prosecutions and powers after the Horizon IT scandal saw hundreds "wrongfully treated"

  • He says it is an "appalling miscarriage of justice" and it is "important those people get the justice they deserve"

  • The PM defends his scrutiny of the controversial Rwanda asylum scheme while chancellor after BBC reported he had doubts

  • Strikes in England's NHS have hindered work to cut waiting times for patients, Sunak adds

  • He was being interviewed days after suggesting the next UK general election will come "in the second half of this year"

  • Labour leader Keir Starmer accused the PM of "dithering and delaying", while Lib Dem leader Ed Davey said Sunak had "bottled" it

  1. What's in Sunday's papers?published at 08:18 Greenwich Mean Time 7 January

    The Sunday Times front pageImage source, The Sunday Times

    "Post Office fury intensifies" declares The Sunday Times as the Metropolitan Police investigates the organisation over potential fraud offences committed during the Horizon IT scandal.

    Prime Minister Rishi Sunak plans to "cut tax by curbing welfare", according to the Sunday Telegraph. The paper also reports that at least 160 councils have signed "undemocratic" pledges to beat the government's net zero targets for 2050.

    Prince Andrew is only on some of the front pages of The Mail on Sunday and the Sunday Mirror for his his alleged connections to Jeffrey Epstein, while the Sunday Express says criminal gangs have made nearly half a billion pounds from smuggling migrants across the Channel in small boats since 2018.

    See what all the papers are saying today.

    The Sunday Telegraph front pageImage source, The Sunday Telegraph
  2. Analysis

    New year, new tactics but old problems for Sunakpublished at 08:08 Greenwich Mean Time 7 January

    Laura Kuenssberg
    Presenter, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg

    Laura KuenssbergImage source, PA Media

    Detail matters. Decisions matter.

    Rishi Sunak's every action as prime minister shapes public opinion about him in this crucial general election year, when you'll have your say on his performance.

    We'll explore this more in our interview with him today.

    But perhaps the biggest factor in his success or failure is much harder for him to get his hands around.

    There is a sense in every nook and cranny of Westminster that changing the mood is almost impossible, given how many things have gone wrong.

    A view that decline has taken hold is most definitely in fashion. That is what the polls and newspaper columns say - and so, privately, do many MPs.

    And with yet another Tory MP walking away - this time former minister Chris Skidmore - it's almost as if Conservative MPs are carrying out their own painful slow motion general election by creating by-election after by-election after by-election. Losing heart, or leaving in disgrace.

    How then is Sunak going to try to turn you back to his party?

    Read Laura’s full article here.

  3. Who else is on the show this morningpublished at 08:01 Greenwich Mean Time 7 January

    Britain's Shadow Secretary of State for Education, Bridget PhillipsonImage source, Reuters

    On for Labour is the shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson.

    Phillipson is likely to be asked about Keir Starmer’s new year's speech this week in which he vowed to defeat the Tories with "project hope" and fight the election on the economy.

    She’ll also likely be pressed on Labour’s education policy.

    We’ll also have former sub postmaster Lee Castleton, who was made bankrupt by the Post Office after a two year legal battle and was eventually one of more than 500 former postmasters who were awarded a share of a £58m settlement from the Post Office.

    • You can read more of his story here.
  4. Elections and Rwanda policy - lots for Sunak to answerpublished at 07:54 Greenwich Mean Time 7 January

    A lot of focus right now is on the next UK general election - and it seems likely that Laura Kuenssberg will press the prime minister on his comments about when it may happen.

    But, there’s a lot of other ground that could also be covered today.

    Sunak will be likely be asked about papers seen by the BBC suggesting that he had significant doubts about sending migrants to Rwanda when he was chancellor.

    They suggest Sunak wanted to scale back No 10's original plans and they indicate he wasn't sure the plan would stop Channel crossings.

    The Post Office scandal has also been all over the news, as it is being investigated by the Met Police over potential fraud offences. Over a 15-year period, more than 700 branch managers were convicted of false accounting, theft and fraud, based on faulty software information, in what is being called the most widespread miscarriage of justice in UK history.

    We’ll cover Rishi Sunak’s interview right here - whether you’re planning to follow our live text updates or tune into the programme live, it won’t be long until we hear what the PM has to say.

  5. Hello and welcomepublished at 07:43 Greenwich Mean Time 7 January

    Emily McGarvey
    Live reporter

    Good morning. We’re here in our central London newsroom to bring you live updates as the BBC’s flagship politics programme, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, returns for 2024.

    It’s set to be a busy morning, with today’s programme featuring a live interview with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

    He’ll be grilled just three days after he appeared to quash rumours of a spring general election, by saying he was working on the assumption one would come in the latter part of the year. He didn’t say when.

    Also on the programme is Labour’s shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson and Lee Castleton, a former sub postmaster, speaking about the public inquiry into the Post Office Horizon IT scandal.

    I’m here with my colleagues Nadia Ragozhina and Ali Abbas Ahmadi. Stay with us over the next couple of hours, and remember you can watch the programme live from 09:00 GMT by hitting the Play button at the tope of this page.