worried was going to bring europe down, bring the euro down. it was seen as a kind of sick man of europe. you re in a very different position now. the economist says you re one of the economic winners on their list. what happened? well, i think it is, indeed, a very interesting story of an economic transformation. we kimcame into power in july 2 and inherited a country and economy that was still traumatized, not just as a result of a financial crisis, but traumatized with our experiment with populism which prolonged the crisis four additional years. despite of the fact we had to deal with multiple crises, i think we have succeeded in turning the country around. and i compare it to three years ago when i was, again, at davos pitching my story at the beginning of my term. then i sensed interest, but also
deal with multiple crises, i think we have succeeded in turning the country around. and i compare it to three years ago when i was, again, at davos pitching my story at the beginning of my term. then i sensed interest, but also skepticism. now, we have the facts to support the argument that we have, indeed, turned the corner. that greece is no longer the sick man of europe, and we are leading europe on numerous fronts when it comes to innovative, public policy. greece s growth rate now, i mean 5.6% for 2022. 8.4% in 2021. i expect growth closer to 2% in 2023, and we may surprise on the upside. but i think equally important, numbers of foreign investment, record years in 21 and 2022. we did that without compromising our fiscal sustainability priority. so if you look at gdp, we have had the fastest decline of gdp than any other european country, to the point where no one talks
so i wanted people to remember that greece was the country that everyone was worried was going to bring europe down, bring the euro down. it was seen as a kind of sick man of europe. you re in a very different position now. the economist says you re one of the economic winners on their list. what happened? well, i think it is, indeed, a very interesting story of an economic transformation. we came into power in july 2019 and inherited a country and economy that was still traumatized, not just as a result of a financial crisis, but traumatized with our experiment with populism which sun necessarily unnelly prolong the crisis four additional years. despite the fact we had to
outweighed by the problem that comes from interest rates soaring in the uk. so the u.s. in the early 80s could do reaganism, but the uk in 2022 cannot do a light form of reaganism and succeed. we re just in a different position. i m all in favor of higher growth. i think she s right on that. we supported her on that. we ve had a campaign at the economist the last few months. this is how you can increase britain s growth rate. she s spot on on her diagnosis. the problem, i take issue a bit with the recklessness of the tax cutting side of her recipe of how to get her. ed, all of a sudden, britain is the sick man of europe in terms of its economy, it s not italy, it s not turkey, it s britain, which is astounding, but this is a like a total u-turn from the previous prime minister, boris johnson, who i believe actually raised taxes to pay for the covid relief.
and national unity. to pick up the point that chris was making, she did indeed project the image, unfailingly positively, abroad. it is sometimes referred to as soft power. she projected it, and if you think of the times over the last 70 years where the reputation of britain had been at a low ebb, internationally, in the 50s, after suez, in the 19705 when internationally, in the 505, after suez, in the 19705 when britain was regarded as the sick man of europe, re5pect regarded as the sick man of europe, respect for her never wavered. she burnished the reputation of britain on the international stage. she encouraged political stability, 5he encouraged political stability, she has been described as a kind of hidden backstop in the constitution, a force field around which good behaviour within the political establishment wa5 behaviour within the political establishment was encouraged. these things, you know, should not be