Britain’s new Labour Party government pledged to calm the country’s febrile politics and ease the cost-of-living crisis as it outlined its plans for “national renewal” at the inauguration of Parliament on Wednesday, Fox News reports.
Stabilising Britain’s public finances and boosting economic growth were central points of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s legislative programme, outlined in a speech written by government officials and delivered by King Charles III. The King said in a speech to hundreds of lawmakers and scarlet-robed members of the House of Lords:
“My government will seek a new partnership with both business and working people and help the country move on from the recent cost of living challenges by prioritising wealth creation for all communities.”
Starmer campaigned on a campaign promise to bring bold change to Britain at a modest cost to taxpayers. He aims to be both a labourer and a businessman, to champion massive new building projects and protect the environment.
The risk is that he may end up pleasing no one. In a written introduction to the speech, Starmer urged patience, saying change will require “determined, patient work and serious decisions” rather than easy answers and “the snake oil charm of populism.”
The king’s speech is the centrepiece of the state’s inauguration ceremony, where royal pageantry is combined with tough politics. The king puts on a diamond-studded crown, sits on a gilded throne and announces the laws his government intends to pass in the coming year.
Labour won a convincing victory in the July 4 election as voters turned away from the Conservatives after years of high inflation, ethics scandals and a succession of successive prime ministers. Starmer pledged to repair the country’s aging infrastructure and worn-out public services, but said he would not raise personal taxes and insisted the changes must be bound by “inviolable fiscal rules.”
Government will “make Britain build”
Wednesday’s speech included 40 bills – the Conservatives’ last speech had just 21 – ranging from house building to nationalising Britain’s railways and decarbonising the country’s energy supply through the state-owned clean energy company Great British Energy. The government has said it will “make Britain build” by creating a sovereign wealth fund and rewriting planning rules that discourage new homes and infrastructure.
Economic measures include tougher rules on corporate governance and a law to make all government budgets subject to prior independent scrutiny. The measures are aimed at avoiding a repeat of the chaos caused in 2022 by then Prime Minister Liz Truss, whose package of unjustified tax cuts shook up the British economy and ended her short tenure in power.
The government pledged to strengthen protections for workers by banning some “zero hours” contracts and raising the minimum wage for many employees. Protections for tenants against substandard housing, sudden evictions and landlords not allowing pets were also announced. The government promised to empower local authorities and improve bus and rail services, a pledge to “level the playing field” for Britain’s London-centric economy that former Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised but largely failed to deliver.
Although Starmer has rejected a sweeping nationalisation of industries, the government plans to bring delay-plagued rail operators into public ownership. Unions and business groups met the economic announcements with restraint.
Speech as “a breath of fresh air”
Gary Smith, leader of the GMB union, called the speech “a breath of fresh air.” Rain Newton-Smith, chief executive of the Confederation of British Industry business group, said it “sets out a programme of serious decisions and bold steps needed to get the economy switched on to new rails.”
The speech said the government “recognises the urgency of the global climate challenge” – a change in tone from the Conservative government’s emphasis on oil and gas exploration. As well as increasing the use of renewable energy, the government promised tougher penalties for companies that dump wastewater into rivers, lakes and seas.
The speech included new measures to strengthen border security, creating a beefed-up Border Security Command with counter-terrorism powers to tackle people smuggling gangs. It followed Starmer’s decision to abandon the Conservatives’ controversial and unrealised plan to send people arriving in the UK across the Channel one-way to Rwanda. It also touched on an issue that has bedevilled previous governments: reforming the House of Lords. This unelected upper house of parliament has nearly 800 members – mostly lifelong political appointees – as well as judges, bishops and nearly 100 hereditary aristocrats.
The government said it would remove the “outdated and unjustified” presence of hereditary nobles, but made no mention of Labour’s pledge to set the retirement age for the Lords at 80. There was also no mention of the promise to lower the voting age from 18 to 16, although the government still plans to do so before the next election.
Continuing Sunak’s policy
Although Starmer’s programme marks a break with the losing Conservative government of former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, he revived Sunak’s plan to stop future generations smoking by gradually raising the minimum age to buy tobacco. In his speech, he reiterated that the government wanted to “reset relations with European partners” that will be spoilt by Britain’s exit from the European Union in 2020, and said there would be no change in Britain’s strong support for Ukraine.
Wednesday’s speech was Charles’ second such speech since the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September 2022. He travelled from Buckingham Palace to parliament in a horse-drawn carriage – past a small group of anti-monarchy protesters carrying “Down with the Crown” placards – before donning ceremonial robes and the imperial state crown to deliver the speech.
Police said 10 members of an environmental activist group were arrested outside parliament over alleged plans to disrupt the ceremony. For all its royal trappings, the king’s speech is in name only. The words were written by government officials, and the monarch did not betray the slightest emotion when he read them out. Jill Rutter, senior research fellow at the Institute for Government think tank, said:
“The king has zero agency in this.”
