LONDON: King Charles III outlined the Labour Party’s first programme for government in 15 years on Wednesday, presenting promises ranging from economic stability and tougher action on irregular immigration to improving post-Brexit relations with Europe.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer introduced the King’s Speech, a centuries-old tradition filled with pomp and ceremony that details the laws the government proposes to enact over the next 12 months. “We will unlock growth and take the brakes off Britain,” Starmer said.
Despite its name, the King’s Speech, which marks the official start of the new parliamentary session, is crafted by the government rather than the monarch. It was the first such speech for the centre-left Labour Party since it was last in power in 2010.
Donning the diamond-studded Imperial State Crown, his Admiral of the Fleet uniform, and the crimson Robe of State, King Charles delivered Labour’s proposals from a golden throne in the House of Lords after a ceremonial carriage procession from Buckingham Palace.
The speech encompassed over 35 bills, including measures to enforce public spending rules and conduct independent assessments of future budgets to prevent a recurrence of former Prime Minister Liz Truss’s disastrous 2022 mini-budget, which severely impacted the economy. Among the highlighted initiatives were a wealth fund to attract investment into the UK to spur growth and a publicly owned body aimed at boosting clean energy by 2030.
Labour also announced plans to accelerate housebuilding and take Britain’s frequently criticized rail services back into public ownership. Additionally, the speech detailed a new border security command with enhanced “counter-terror powers” to curb “immigration crime,” aligning with Starmer’s pledge to “smash the gangs” facilitating migrant crossings of the Channel from northern France.
Labour’s return to government followed a landslide victory over Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives earlier this month, during which the hard-right Reform UK party, led by eurosceptic Nigel Farage, secured five seats. Starmer warned against the allure of populism, stating, “The snake oil charm of populism may sound seductive, but it drives us into the dead end of further division and greater disappointment.” He pledged to lead a government of “service.”
The King’s Speech included a bill to strengthen workers’ rights and plans to reform the unelected House of Lords by abolishing the right of hereditary peers to sit there. Sunak’s proposal to phase out smoking and plans for a football regulator were also featured. Labour also committed to repealing a controversial act that granted conditional immunity to perpetrators of crimes during Northern Ireland’s Troubles era of sectarian violence.
“This is a hungry party,” former Labour minister Tony McNulty told AFP before the speech. “They are chomping at the bit to show that they can get back to being what they see as the natural party of government.” However, the legislative agenda did not mention lowering the voting age to 16 or ending a controversial two-child limit for welfare payments, which many Labour MPs support.
The day’s ceremonies began with royal bodyguards ritually searching the basement of the Palace of Westminster for explosives, a legacy of the failed 1605 attempt by Catholics to blow up parliament. The king then traveled from Buckingham Palace, escorted by mounted cavalry, to the Houses of Parliament. A small group of anti-monarchy protesters chanted “Not my king” outside parliament, and the Metropolitan Police reported the arrest of ten members of the activist group Youth Demand on suspicion of conspiracy to cause public nuisance.
An MP was ceremonially held “hostage” in the palace to ensure the king’s safe return. Additionally, a parliamentary official known as Black Rod had the door of the lower-chamber House of Commons ceremonially slammed in her face, symbolizing parliament’s independence from the monarchy. MPs then followed Black Rod to the upper chamber, where King Charles delivered the speech to assembled lords and ladies in red robes with ermine fur, as well as invited members of the elected Commons.
In keeping with the convention that the monarch is above politics, King Charles remained expressionless throughout. Sunak, who plans to step down as Tory leader once a successor is found, acknowledged Labour’s victory, stating that the party had “tapped into the public’s desire for change” and “must now deliver change.”
