King’s Speech Comes at an Awkward Time for Starmer
King III. Charles kicked off the new parliamentary session in Britain on Wednesday, reading out Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s agenda in his opening “king speech” even as Mr Starmer battles a revolt in his party that could force him out of office before he has a chance to enact it.
In a ceremony steeped in tradition and ritual, MPs gathered in the House of Lords to hear the king outline Mr Starmer’s government’s priorities for the coming year. The speech said an “increasingly dangerous and volatile” world would test “every element” of Britain.
“My government will respond strongly to this world and aim to create a fair country for everyone,” Charles said, reading remarks prepared by Mr Starmer’s aides and advisers. “My ministers will make decisions that will protect the UK’s energy, defense and economic security.”
In a typical year, the king’s address is an opportunity for the incumbent prime minister and his cabinet to build political momentum behind legislative proposals by presenting a long list of planned agenda items.
But this year the talk has been overshadowed by turmoil within Mr Starmer’s party. This comes just a day after nearly 100 Labor MPs called for the prime minister’s resignation and half a dozen ministers quit their jobs in protest at the prime minister’s refusal to resign.
Hours before heading to Parliament to attend the speech, Mr Starmer had a brief meeting at No 10 Downing Street with Wes Streeting, the country’s health minister and the man widely believed to be seeking to challenge him for the leadership of the ruling Labor Party and the job of prime minister.
The health secretary spent just 20 minutes inside the building and neither Mr Starmer nor Mr Streeting made a statement afterwards. Mr Streeting has made no secret for months of his desire to challenge the prime minister when the time comes. But to start this process, Parliament would need support from 81 Labor members. So far he hasn’t done that.
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy told reporters on Tuesday that “no one has the credentials to oppose Keir Starmer” and told his Labor colleagues: “Let’s get on with the business of running this country.”
Despite the political drama swirling in Westminster, it started with the usual demonstrations in the halls of Parliament on Wednesday.
In accordance with tradition, the cellars of the parliament buildings were first searched by the king’s guards; it was a memory of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, when Guy Fawkes and his Catholic collaborators tried and failed to blow up King James I as a coup against Britain’s established Protestant churches.
The King presided over the session wearing his State Robe, a 5-meter red velvet cloak, and the Imperial State Crown, which consists of 2,868 diamonds, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds and 269 pearls. MPs were summoned to the chamber by a House of Lords official known as the Herald of the Black Wand, who literally banged on the door of the House of Commons with a black stick.
In his speech, the King touched upon 37 specific bills that Mr Starmer’s government plans to pass through Parliament over the next 18 months. Many of these were pieces of legislation that the prime minister’s team was already working to introduce.
“My ministers will continue to invest in apprenticeships,” Charles said, referring to efforts to provide more opportunities for young people. “My ministers will deliver significant reforms to the police, the NHS and the criminal justice system,” he said, referring to three bills introduced by Mr Starmer months ago.
The speech could deepen anger among disgruntled Labor MPs, whose disappointment with Mr Starmer stems in part from the belief that his agenda is not aggressive enough and that he is not connecting with British voters.
This was brought into vivid relief last week, when voters resoundingly rejected Labor candidates in council elections across England and contests for devolved legislatures in Wales and Scotland. Many local Labor candidates said voters blamed Mr Starmer for their decision to support another party.
Over the last few days, Mr Starmer has said that he would pursue his agenda more urgently after the elections.
“Change cannot come fast enough for British people who are fed up with the status quo that is failing them,” Mr Starmer said on Monday morning. It could be days, or even longer, before it becomes clear whether Mr Starmer will have the chance to make that happen.
