Britain’s new Labour Party government pledged to restore calm to the country’s turbulent politics and ease the cost-of-living crisis as it unveiled its “national renewal” plans at the grand State Opening of Parliament on Wednesday.
Stabilizing the U.K.’s public finances and stimulating economic growth were at the core of the plans, announced in a speech drafted by government officials and delivered by King Charles III.
“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 prioritizing wealth creation for all communities,” the king stated in a speech to hundreds of lawmakers and scarlet-robed members of the House of Lords.
Starmer campaigned on a promise to bring about substantial changes to Britain at a moderate cost to taxpayers. He aims to be both pro-worker and pro-business, favoring large-scale construction projects while safeguarding the environment. However, there is a risk that he might end up satisfying no one.
In a written introduction to the speech, Starmer urged patience, saying that change would require “determined, patient work and serious solutions” rather than simplistic answers and “the snake oil charm of populism.”
The King’s Speech is the central event of the State Opening, an occasion where royal pomp meets hard-nosed politics, as the king donned a diamond-studded crown, sat on a gilded throne and announced the laws his government intends to enact in the coming year.
The Labour government took office on July 4 as voters turned against the Conservatives after years of high inflation, ethical scandals and a revolving door of prime ministers. Starmer has promised to repair the country’s aging infrastructure and dilapidated public services, but asserts he won’t raise personal taxes and insists that change must be bound by “unbreakable fiscal rules.”
Wednesday’s speech included 40 bills – the Conservatives’ last speech had just 21 – ranging from house building to nationalizing Britain’s railways and decarbonizing the nation’s power supply with a publicly-owned green energy company, Great British Energy.
The government stated it would “get Britain building,” establishing a National Wealth Fund and revising planning regulations that hinder the construction of new homes and infrastructure.
Economic measures included stricter regulations governing corporations and a law to ensure all government budgets undergo independent scrutiny in advance. This aims to prevent a repeat of the chaos sparked in 2022 by then-Prime Minister Liz Truss, whose package of uncosted tax cuts destabilized the British economy and led to her brief tenure in office.
The government pledged stronger protections for workers, with a ban on certain “zero-hours” contracts and a higher minimum wage for many employees. Also announced were safeguards for renters against substandard housing, sudden eviction and landlords who refuse to allow them to have a pet.
The government promised increased power for local governments and improved bus and railway services – key components of the “leveling up” of Britain’s London-centric economy that former Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised but largely failed to deliver.
While Starmer avoided large-scale nationalization of industries, the government plans to bring the delay-plagued train operators into public ownership.
Trade unions and business groups cautiously welcomed the economic announcements. Gary Smith, leader of the GMB union, called the speech a “breath of fresh air.” Rain Newton-Smith, chief executive of business group the Confederation of British Industry, said it “sets out a program of big choices and bold moves needed to deliver a shift in gear for the economy.”
The speech stated the government “recognizes the urgency of the global climate challenge” — a shift in tone from the Conservative government’s emphasis on oil and gas exploration. In addition to increasing renewable energy, it pledged tougher penalties for water companies that discharge sewage into rivers, lakes and seas.
The speech included new measures to strengthen border security, creating a reinforced Border Security Command with counter-terrorism powers to tackle people-smuggling gangs.
It follows Starmer’s decision to scrap the Conservatives’ contentious and unrealized plan to send people arriving in the U.K. across the English Channel on a one-way trip to Rwanda.
The speech also addressed an issue that has stumped previous governments: reforming the House of Lords. The unelected upper chamber of Parliament is filled with nearly 800 members – largely lifetime political appointees, with a smattering of judges, bishops and almost 100 hereditary aristocrats. The government stated it would eliminate the “outdated and indefensible” presence of hereditary nobles, although there was no mention of Labour’s promise to set a Lords retirement age of 80.
There was also no mention of its pledge to lower the voting age from 18 to 16, although the government still plans to do so before the next election.
While Starmer’s agenda marks a break with the defeated Conservative government of former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, he has revived Sunak’s plan to prevent future generations from smoking by gradually raising the minimum age for buying tobacco.
The speech confirmed that the government wants to “reset the relationship with European partners” strained by Britain’s departure from the European Union in 2020 and said there would be no change to Britain’s strong support for Ukraine.
Wednesday’s address was the second such speech by Charles since the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September 2022.
He traveled from Buckingham Palace to Parliament in a horse-drawn carriage – past a small group of anti-monarchy protesters with signs reading “Down with the Crown” – before donning ceremonial robes and the Imperial State Crown to deliver his speech. Police said 10 members of an environmental activist group were arrested near Parliament over alleged plans to disrupt the ceremony.
For all its royal trappings, it is the King’s Speech in name only. The words are written by government officials, and the monarch betrayed no flicker of emotion as he read them out.
“The king has zero agency in this,” said Jill Rutter, senior research fellow at the Institute for Government think tank.