Tomorrow, King Charles III will deliver his King’s Speech as part of the State Opening of Parliament. It will be the King’s first address of this sort since becoming monarch.
The tradition of a speech from the throne at the State Opening of Parliament dates back to at least the 16th century, and possibly earlier. The monarch uses this opportunity, with members of both Houses of Parliament gathered together, to set out the agenda that their Government will pursue for the duration of the Parliament. Once the speech has been given, MPs will assemble in the House of Commons to debate the Government’s proposed agenda – this debate usually lasts for about five sitting days.
I wanted to take this opportunity to set out my own thoughts on and hopes for the King’s Speech. Of course, trying to predict the future is always a dangerous game, particularly where politics is concerned. Nevertheless, this is a useful moment in which to pause, reflect on the direction of this country and its Government, and to consider what we might like to see from that Government in future. Of course, we can expect to see continued efforts to deliver on the Prime Minister’s key priorities – bringing down inflation, growing the economy, reducing national debt, reducing the NHS waiting list, and stopping illegal small boat crossings.
However, beyond these bread-and-butter issues, there are a number of other key priorities that I’m hoping to see reference to. We can expect to see confirmation of the Government’s continued commitment to some landmark pieces of legislation – whether that’s the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill, the Renters (Reform) Bill, or our ambitious new rules around competition in digital markets.
I hope that we’ll see some sense of how this Government plans to continue its work on delivering world-class public services. I’m confident that we’ll see a commitment from this Government on the need to make our streets safer, with more police officers and quicker dispensation of justice against those who put communities and individuals at risk. This is in addition to the steps that the Government is already taking to support the NHS, with record funding and the long-term NHS workforce plan.
I also hope to see reference to this country’s ongoing commitments to defending our interests abroad. Whether it’s last week’s AI Safety Summit, or the ongoing AUKUS partnership with Australia and the United States, this Government has continued to show that the UK has the ability to lead on the global stage.
Whatever the King says in his speech tomorrow, I know that my colleagues in Government are committed to the same objectives as people in Hitchin, Harpenden, and the villages. We all want a stronger economy, better public services, and more opportunity to succeed in the ways that we want to. We’re united in believing in the central importance of conservation and environmentalism, and in our understanding that this country is at its best when it works closely with its allies abroad in order to defend our priorities at home. I have confidence that tomorrow will only reinforce the Government’s commitments to those principles. I hope that you will tune in to watch some, or all, of the King’s Speech.
