residency and other rights of an attacker s family members. the memphis police department has disbanded the so called scorpion special unit whose officers are accused of murdering tyre nichols. you re watching bbc news. now it s time for political thinking with nick robinson. hello, and welcome to political thinking. he s the man who leads the organisation which represents britain s biggest employers talking the country down. or is he simply speaking up for the policies needed to get the country growing again? my guest on political thinking this week is tony danker. he is the director general of the cbi, or what we used to call the confederation of british industry. he s gone from selling menswear on the shop floor in his home city of belfast to being an adviser, first for the chief rabbi and then a treasury minister during the banking crisis. it is thejob he does now, though, which led the times to argue in an editorial this week that he, as the leader of the cbi, should n
the sound of artillery fire. you can tell every minute that this is a city that is being intensely fought over. we start here in the uk, where the prime minister rishi sunak has set out his priorities for 2023 in his first major speech of the year. let s have a listen to some of what he had to say. first, we will have inflation this year to ease the cost of living and give people financial security. second, we will grow the economy, creating better paid jobs and opportunity right across the country. third, we will make sure our national debt is falling so that we can secure the future of public services. fourth, nhs waiting lists will fall, and people will get the kjaer they need more quickly. fifth, we will pass new laws to stop small boats, sunak making sure that if you come to this country sunak illegally, you are detained and swiftly removed. rishi sunak spent the first few weeks of his premiership last autumn trying to restore stability after the turmoil of liz truss go
You look at the five Qualification Levels which are broadly equivalent to the standard grades in scotland. We have seen more young people achieve it, but weve seen the gap between rich and poor almost half. Weve also seen the number of poor people who leave school with no qualifications halve as well, so there has been progress made, but i make no bones about the fact we need to seek more progress, which is why we have a Major Programme of reform under way in Scottish Education. We have a Major Programme of reform under way in Scottish Educationlj will under way in Scottish Education. will go on to education and the details in a minute, but overall, the former head of policy for alex salmond calls it a lost decade. He isa salmond calls it a lost decade. He is a former head of policy and i dont agree with that assessment. Its a damning criticism from inside your own party. I dont accept the fa cts your own party. I dont accept the facts and figures bear out the assessment. We said we wo