King Charles III lays out UK government agenda as Starmer's job hangs in the balance
LONDON (AP) — King Charles III laid out on Wednesday the British government’s legislative program for the coming year or so, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer fought to remain in power following rising discontent within his Labour Party.
In a speech to lawmakers laced with all the pomp that accompanies the ceremonial opening of Parliament, the king said the U.K.'s economic, energy and national security would be tested as it deals with the fallout from the wars in Iran and Ukraine.
Planned measures include controlling the cost of living, strengthening ties with the European Union and making it easier to build new energy infrastructure.
And pledging action on antisemitism following a run of attacks on the Jewish community in recent months, King Charles said the government would “defend the British values” of decency and tolerance.
The question is whether Prime Minister Keir Starmer will be around to implement the measures in the speech and, even if he remains in post, whether he will have the authority to push his proposals through.
The embattled prime minister has been urged to set a timetable for his departure by more than a fifth of the Labour Party's lawmakers in the House of Commons. Some junior ministers have quit the government in protest, but no one has yet challenged Starmer directly.
Early on Wednesday, Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who is one of those widely tipped to be interested in succeeding Starmer, had a meeting with the prime minister that lasted less than 20 minutes. Streeting did not speak to reporters on his way in or out of 10 Downing Street but the BBC and the Times of London reported that he could resign and launch a leadership challenge as soon as Thursday.
The King's Speech represents Starmer's latest effort to save his premiership after Labour suffered huge losses in local and regional elections last week. If those results were repeated in a national election that has to be held by 2029, the party would be overwhelmingly ejected from power.
Labour was squeezed from the right and the left, losing votes to both anti-immigrant Reform UK and the Green Party, as well as nationalist parties in Scotland and Wales.
After the speech, Streeting made no mention of a leadership bid but said he was focused on his job. The planned health bill in the coming parliamentary session will “boost the impact of our investment and modernization” in the state-run National Health Service, he said.
“Lots done, lots to do,” he said on social media.
Labour secured a landslide election victory in 2024, driving the Conservatives from power after 14 years, but since then the party’s popularity has plunged and Starmer is getting much of the blame. The reasons include a series of policy missteps, a struggling British economy, a perceived lack of vision on the prime minister’s part and questions over his judgment. Starmer’s choice of Peter Mandelson as U.K. ambassador to Washington despite ties to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has continued to haunt him.
Starmer, who has insisted he has no intention to stand down, has his supporters within the party. More than 100 lawmakers have signed a letter saying it is “no time” for a leadership contest.
“We should let him get on with doing his job, because he is a serious politician and these are very, very serious times,” Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn told Sky News.
The King’s Speech, which is written by the government, merges the historic power and grandeur of Britain with the reality of the modern United Kingdom, a mid-sized country with an underfunded military, rising debt and waning international influence.
The speech is the focal point of a day of ceremony and tradition that has been followed since 1852, with elements of the program dating to the 16th century. The state opening of Parliament uses carefully choreographed pageantry to showcase Britain’s evolution from an absolute monarchy to a parliamentary democracy where real power is vested in the elected House of Commons.
At the heart of the government's agenda is to bolster the country’s “economic security, energy security, our defense and national security.”
The king, who made the short journey from Buckingham Palace to the Houses of Parliament in a horse-drawn carriage, also said the government will “defend the British values of decency, tolerance and respect for difference under our common flag” and said urgent action would be taken to tackle antisemitism.
During his speech which he delivered seated next to Queen Camilla, the king donned the Imperial State Crown and robe of state.
Once they were seated, a Lords official called Black Rod, named for the ebony rod he or she carries, went to the House of Commons to summon the chamber’s members. The doors to the Commons chamber were slammed in Black Rod’s face to symbolize the chamber’s independence from the monarchy, and they aren’t opened until Black Rod strikes the doors three times.
Once members of the Commons crowded into the Lords’ chamber, the king delivered the speech.
After the speech was read, the royal couple left and the two houses of Parliament begin several days of debate on its contents.
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