Rishi Sunak U-turn tracker - all the Prime Minister's screeching changes

Punishments for social media giants

Social media bosses who ignore or deliberately flout rules aimed at protecting children could face jail after Rishi Sunak bowed to Tory rebels.

50 MPs put their names to an amendment to the Online Safety Bill which would make tech chiefs criminally liable if they do not block kids from seeing vile content online.

Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan set out new plans to hold bosses accountable "in a way which is effective and targeted towards child safety" - to avoid a damaging defeat.

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The final government amendment "will be carefully designed to capture instances where senior managers, or those purporting to act in that capacity, have consented or connived in ignoring enforceable requirements, risking serious harm to children", she said.

Housing targets

Mandatory housebuilding targets were ditched following pressure from Tory MPs.

In a letter to MPs, Communities Secretary Michael Gove said the Levelling-up Bill would be amended to make the goals advisory only.

Mr Gove told ITV News: "It's a manifesto commitment to build 300,000 homes and it's one that we're absolutely determined to meet.

"It will be difficult in the next year, not because of the planning system, but because of inflation and the cost of building materials in a tight labour market

"But I believe the changes today will help us to meet that target overall."

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Schools

The Tories shelved their "unworkable" Schools Bill only months after the long-awaited blueprint was unveiled.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan revealed that the already watered-down legislation had now been ditched.

Rebel peers forced ministers to strip out key chunks of the bill in the summer after the Government was accused of a "power grab" by trying to dictate things like the curriculum, pupil welfare and the length of the school day in academies.

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Ms Keegan told MPs that the legislation "will not progress" any further as parliamentary time was being saved for measures to tackle the economic crisis.

But Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said it was clear the Tories had "no idea" what to do about education and warned that more and more children were being left behind.

Wind farms

Facing a rebel amendment from around 30 Tory MPs - including former PMs Boris Johnson and Liz Truss - Mr Sunak U-turned on onshore wind farms.

Under current rules energy companies are allowed to build wind farms at sea but strict rules have effectively prevented new sites in the countryside.

During the Tory leadership race, Mr Sunak vowed never to "relax the ban on onshore wind in England, instead focusing on building more turbines offshore".

But the Government has since announced a consultation..

“Under the proposals, planning permission would be dependent on a project being able to demonstrate local support and appropriately address any impacts identified by the local community.

COP27

Just days after taking office No10 said the new Prime Minister had no plans to attend the key climate summit in Egypt with other world leaders.

Downing Street had insisted the Prime Minister was instead focusing on "pressing domestic commitments" including November's Autumn Statement.

The move prompted outrage from environmental campaigners while the UK's COP26 President Alok Sharma even said he was "pretty disappointed".

But in a last-minute climbdown Mr Sunak said: "I will attend COP27 next week... there is no long-term prosperity without action on climate change".

Fracking

The Tories' 2019 election manifesto declared that the ban on fracking would remain in place "unless the science shows categorically that it can be done safely".

In an attempt to appeal to the Tories' membership in the summer alongside Liz Truss, the pair both replied "yes if local communities support it '' when asked about their support for fracking.

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Britain's shortest-serving Prime Minister Ms Truss lifted the ban on fracking shortly after winning the keys to No10.

But Mr Sunak told the Commons he "stands by'' the 2019 manifesto and asked whether fracking was "back in the bin", the PM's spokesman said: "That's correct".

£10 NHS fines

During his failed bid for No10 against Liz Truss in the summer, Mr Sunak outlined his proposals to tackle the record NHS backlog.

This included a controversial plan to fine patients £10 for missed GP and hospital appointments. "I will charge people who waste valuable NHS time," he declared.

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The policy was criticised by health leaders and unions with the British Medical Association saying it would "make matters worse" in the health service.

Abandoning the policy, a No10 spokeswoman said: "We have listened to GPs and health leaders, and have acknowledged that now is not the right time to take this policy forward".

Migrant cruise ships

The ex-Chancellor pledged in the summer to use cruise ships to house asylum seekers while their claims are processed as part of an immigration plan.

But No10 confirmed the idea had been dropped, with the PM's spokesman saying he was "not aware of any plans" to use disused ships.

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Government lawyers had warned the idea would breach obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention that prohibits countries from detaining people claiming asylum.

It would also have broken British law, which only allows individuals to be detained for immigration purposes if there is a "realistic prospect of removal".

EU law

In a pledge unveiled during the summer's leadership contest, Mr Sunak vowed to review all 2,400 EU laws still on the statue book during his first 100 days in Government.

“As Prime Minister, I would task a new Brexit Delivery Department with reviewing all of the remaining 2,400 laws on our statute book," he declared.

“With the first set of recommendations as to whether each law should be scrapped or reformed being published within my first 100 days in the job.”

But the Financial Times reported Mr Sunak's U-turn last week, claiming the "Brexit Delivery Department" would not be created. The target of 100 days will also be missed, it was added.

National Insurance

As Chancellor in Boris Johnson's Government Mr Sunak unveiled a hike in national insurance to provide extra funds to the NHS, and eventually social care.

The 1.25 percentage point increase in the tax was dumped by Ms Truss - one of her only policies that has survived the test of time.

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There had been speculation that Mr Sunak could revert to his original plan, which he stuck with during the Tory leadership contest, after he took over from Ms Truss.

But Mr Sunak's Press Secretary said last week: “Obviously there was action taken in the last six weeks and the former Prime Minister and the Chancellor.

“It’s now gone through the house and it’s been voted on.”