The King will outline the legislative agenda for the British government at the opening of Parliament on Tuesday. He is expected to speak in favour of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s bid to keep his Conservative Party in power in next year’s general election, WAtoday reports.
Sunak’s Conservatives are behind the Labour Party by about 20 points in opinion polls, and the King’s speech has the potential to convince voters that their prime minister is delivering the policies they need. The speech is expected to address energy, housing and crime, key topics of concern for the British population.
PM’s office promises that violent criminals will be detained longer, offenders will be forced to appear in court for sentencing, and police will be given extra authority to tackle “everyday” crime and anti-social behaviour.
I want everyone across the country to have the pride and peace of mind that comes with knowing your community … is safe. That is my vision of what a better Britain looks like.
However, without broader reform of overcrowded courts and prisons, such a move will not lead to changes in the criminal justice system.
“We must always strive to do more, taking the right long-term decisions for the country and keeping the worst offenders locked up for longer. In the most despicable cases, these evil criminals must never be free on our streets again.”
Sunak will introduce a series of laws at 9:30 a.m. local time Tuesday, including life sentences for convicted sexually motivated murderers.
Life needs to mean life.
The government also plans to introduce mandatory annual licensing of oil and gas in the North Sea. The move will provide confidence to investors, protect jobs and reduce dependence on “hostile states” in the energy sector. Labour, on the contrary, promises to ban new licences in order to focus on renewable energy.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman sparked anger, even in the Conservative Party, when stated that she wanted to restrict the use of tents by homeless people as part of a wider tackling of crime. She claimed there were people, “many of them from abroad, living on the streets as a lifestyle choice.” Sunak declined to criticise Braverman’s statement.
Sunak’s spokesman, Max Blain, also confirmed that the government was considering redefining the term “extremism,” but he declined to comment on an Observer newspaper report that officials wanted to include anyone who undermined the country’s institutions and values in the new definition.
The King’s speech, which marks the start of the new parliamentary session, is one of Sunak’s ways of confronting the Labour Party. Meanwhile, UK opposition leader Keir Starmer claims the Tories “have already failed.”
“The Tories can’t fix the country because they’ve already failed. With a legacy of stagnant growth, skyrocketing mortgages, soaring prices and crumbling schools and hospitals, Rishi Sunak admits the country needs to change; but this government cannot deliver it.”
