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What was in the 2023 King’s speech?

Tuesday's state opening of parliament was the last before the next general election.

The King’s speech is part of the state opening of parliament. It is delivered by the monarch, though written by the government, and sets out the government’s priorities for the coming parliamentary session. The 2023 speech was held on 7 November 2023 and opened what will be the final session before the next general election. The speech included 21 bills, of which six have been carried over from the previous session, and two had been previously published in draft form.

What bills were ‘carried over’ from the last parliamentary session? 

Bills that are introduced in one parliamentary session but did not complete all their legislative stages can continue into the next parliamentary session if a ‘carry-over motion’ is passed. Seven bills introduced in the last session have been carried over, of which six are appeared in the King’s speech. These are:

• Data Protection and Digital Information (No. 2) Bill – a bill to reform data rights and the powers of the Information Commissioner’s Office
• Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill – a bill on consumers rights and protections for digital markets
• Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill – a bill to prevent public bodies and councils from campaigning against, sanctioning, or boycotting a foreign territory
• Renters Reform Bill – a bill to reform the rental market, including abolishing ‘no-fault’ evictions
• Victims and Prisoners Bill – a bill to put the Victim’s Code on a statutory footing, to state minimum levels of service for victims of crime. It also reforms rules around parole and marriage and civil partnerships for certain prisoners.
• Holocaust Memorial Bill – a hybrid bill to allow for the building of a holocaust memorial and learning centre in Victoria tower gardens.
• High Speed Rail (Crewe to Manchester) Bill – a hybrid bill to authorise the building of HS2 between Crewe and Manchester.

A bill being carried over is not a guarantee it will remain a government priority and continue to progress (the government could also continue to pass a bill despite not including it in the King’s speech). For example, the High Speed Rail Bill, was not included in the King’s Speech despite it being carried over, as the government has decided not to complete the section of the project covered by the bill.

What draft legislation was already included in the King's speech?

Occasionally the government publishes bills in draft form to allow for scrutiny before it is formally introduced into parliament. There are three draft bills that the government published in the 2022–23 parliamentary session, and two were included in the King’s Speech. These are:

• Media Bill – a bill to reform the regulation of public service broadcasting, radio, and online streaming
• Terrorism (Protection of Premises Bill) – a bill (also known as Martyn’s Law) to introduce security requirements for certain public venues and locations

The Media Bill has undergone pre-legislative scrutiny by the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, which published its report in September. Additionally pre-legislative scrutiny on the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill was completed by the Home Affairs Committee on 27 July. The government is yet to respond to these reports. A third bill published in draft last session was the Mental Health Act Reform Bill, a bill to reform the Mental Health Act (1983). This was not included in the King’s Speech, but the speech did include a commitment to increase funding for mental health. 

The government also included plans to bring forward legislation on rail reform but only in draft. It is unlikely, therefore, that this legislation will be introduced before a general election. 

What other policies were brought forward?

The government has also announced its intention to legislate to implement its other policies and priorities. There were 12 other bills included in the speech:

• Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill – A bill to ban the export of live animals.
• Arbitration Bill – A bill to reform the laws on arbitration in England and Wales.
• Automated Vehicles Bill – A bill to establish a legal framework for self-driving vehicles.
• Criminal Justice Bill – A bill to reform policing and justice around digital-enabled crime, child sexual abuse and grooming. 
• Football Governance Bill – A bill to establish an independent football regulator.
• Investigatory Powers (Amendment) Bill – A bill to amend the Investigatory Powers Act (2016) to change how intelligence agencies can use data, and judicial oversight of their powers.
• Leasehold and Freehold Bill – A bill to reform how leaseholders are able to extend their leasehold or buy their freehold.
• Offshore Petroleum Licencing Bill – A bill to extend oil and gas licencing for the North Sea
• Pedicabs (London) Bill – A bill to regulate pedicabs in London.
• Sentencing Bill – A bill to extend prison time for certain serious crimes.
• Tobacco and Vapes Bill – A bill to ban smoking for those born after 2008, and prevent the availability of vapes for children.
• Trade (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) Bill – A bill to aid the UK’s accession to the Trans Pacific Partnership trade agreement. 

Some of these bills are the result of a long policy process. For example the Football Governance Bill follows a fan-led football review and white paper. Others  follow recent commitments from Sunak at Conservative Party Conference this year, such as the smoking ban.   

Is the King’s speech binding for the government?

No. The government is not required to introduce all of the legislation it proposes in the King’s speech – nor is it limited to just what appears in it. For example, in the last parliamentary session the government introduced the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill just a few weeks after the Queen’s speech, despite it not appearing in that speech.

In other policy areas the government may decide that its policy priorities can be implemented without legislation. For example, Sunak’s high-profile cancellation of part of HS2 rail will not require legislation, as the laws already passed gave permission for the Department for Transport to build the line, but did not require that it is built. The government may pass an act to repeal the HS2 legislation to avoid uncertainty, but this would require committing to legislative time – and debate – which the government may want to avoid in favour of other priorities.

Additionally in areas like artificial intelligence, the government has set out its approach to regulation , but does not intend to introduce legislation at this stage.

How might the upcoming general election influence the King’s speech?

This King’s speech is likely to be the last before the general election . The final parliamentary session before an election is generally when a government has the least political capital, and so there may be difficulties passing bills in more controversial areas. Bills cannot be carried over into a new parliamentary session following the dissolution of parliament ahead of the election, so any legislation introduced will need to be passed before then.

With this in mind, the government will likely want to avoid difficult or contentious legislation that could slow down its ability to pass its wider legislative agenda. Bills that have been proposed in the past did not appear in the Kings speech. These include the Mental Health Bill, and other bills from the last Queen’s Speech, such as the Conversion Therapy Bill and the Transport Bill. 

This King’s speech was also an opportunity for the Conservative Party to pitch its priorities ahead of a general election, and proposed legislation could serve to indicate policy areas the government wants to campaign on. The legislation requiring an annual process for issues licences for extracting North Sea Oil could become a dividing line with Labour. The focus on the criminal justice system, for example, through tougher sentencing for criminals, might also indicate that the Conservatives intend to focus on crime as a key policy area to campaign on ahead of the general election.  

The previous Queen’s speech included 31 bills and five draft bills, of which parliament passed 43 over the course of the 18-month session. undefined This figure includes all public government bills passed in the 2022-23 session. It does not include hybrid bills, private bills, or private members bills.  With this being the final session before a general election a shorter list of legislation (20 bills and one draft bill) is normal. Over a five year parliament the final session tends to see less legislation passed.  The number of bills in the speech does not necessarily indicate when an election will be called. The October 2019 Queens speech included more than 20 proposed bills: an election was called within two weeks.

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Britain’s Charles III gives first King’s Speech as monarch

The ceremony could be the first and last chance for Conservative PM Rishi Sunak to pitch his legislative agenda to the public.

Britain’s King Charles III has delivered his first opening address of parliament since taking the throne, laying out the government’s policy priorities in areas spanning the economy, foreign policy and criminal justice.

The annual address – known as the King’s or Queen’s Speech – is a centuries-old tradition marking a new parliamentary session. The remarks are prepared by the government and read out by the monarch.

Keep reading

Sunak announces u-turn on several uk net zero policies, king charles urges stronger france-uk ties, partnership on climate change, king charles’s visit to kenya unearths memories of ‘unresolved injustices’, uk’s sunak, saudi crown prince to meet ‘at the earliest opportunity’.

Charles became monarch when his mother died in September 2022 after a 70-year reign.

“It is mindful of the legacy of service and devotion to this country set by my beloved mother, the late queen, that I deliver this, the first King’s Speech in over 70 years,” Charles said in beginning the speech on Tuesday.

The ceremony could be the first and last time for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to make his legislative case to the people. His Conservative Party will face a tough test in a general election expected next year from the rival Labour Party, which is up in the polls and could unseat him.

Charles spoke of government initiatives to tame inflation, bolster energy security and protect consumers from hidden prices, outlining what Sunak hopes will be vote-winning reforms for the Conservatives.

The monarch also voiced strong backing for allies Ukraine and Israel in their ongoing wars. He denounced “barbaric acts of terrorism against the people of Israel” but said the United Kingdom would work to facilitate humanitarian aid for Gaza.

What was in the King’s Speech?

The 10-minute speech touched on a range of hot-button issues – from data protection to criminal sentences guidelines and tobacco regulations.

Several proposals were touted as “Brexit freedoms”, enabled by the UK’s exit from the European Union, such as less stringent data-protection rules.

The address touched on plans to hand out life sentences without parole to aggravated murderers as well as tougher penalties for serious sexual offenders.

The government also said it would proceed with efforts to cut back environmental regulations after Sunak lifted a moratorium on North Sea oil and gas extraction in July. A planned law would require new oil and gas drilling licenses in the North Sea to be awarded every year, which the government argues will protect jobs, cut Britain’s reliance on foreign fuel and increase energy security.

“My ministers’ focus is on increasing economic growth and safeguarding the health and security of the British people for generations to come,” the king said.

Few details were laid out in the economic proposals, but they featured plans to expand and regulate new economic sectors, such as artificial intelligence and self-driving cars, and a law to open Britain’s market to a group of Pacific Rim nations as part of a trade agreement known as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, which the UK agreed to join in July.

There also was legislation to phase out all tobacco sales in England. Under the plan, anyone who was born on or after January 1, 2009, will never be allowed to legally buy cigarettes.

Several bills were carried over from the last session, including one to bolster protection for renters and a contentious plan to ban public bodies from imposing “politically motivated boycotts of foreign countries” – a law aimed at stopping boycotts of Israel.

General election

The speech, given a month after the two main Conservative and Labour parties held their annual conferences, is adding anticipation to an election campaign not yet formally under way.

The Labour Party currently enjoys a 20-point lead over the Conservatives ahead of voting that must be called by January 28, 2025.

Although a Tory defeat at the next election is far from a foregone conclusion, owing to their sizeable parliamentary majority, a loss would mean much of the legislation outlined in the King’s Speech never seeing the light of day.

“The problem for Sunak is he’s running out of time. The public are both bored and angry at Conservative governance,” said Richard Carr, an associate professor in public policy and strategy at Anglia Ruskin University.

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King Charles III, Climate Advocate, Delivers Speech at Odds With His Beliefs

In keeping with tradition, he outlined the priorities of the prime minister at the opening of Parliament — including, this year, more fossil fuel extraction.

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King Charles III Opens Parliament For the First Time as Monarch

King charles outlined the british government’s legislative priorities during his opening address of parliament..

My lords, pray be seated. My lords and members of the House of Commons, it is mindful of a legacy of service and devotion to this country set by my beloved mother, the late queen, that I deliver this, the first “King’s Speech” in over 70 years. The impact of Covid and the war in Ukraine have created significant long-term challenges for the United Kingdom. That is why my government’s priority is to make the difficult, but necessary, long-term decisions to change this country for the better.

By Stephen Castle

Reporting from London

For a lifelong supporter of environmental causes, a plan to expand oil and gas drilling in the North Sea was probably not what King Charles III had hoped to announce when he opened Britain’s Parliament for the first time as monarch.

But on Tuesday the new king outlined this and 20 of the government’s other legislative priorities in a tradition-steeped ceremony that required a display of the deadpan political neutrality for which his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, was famous.

Drafted by the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, but delivered by King Charles, the centerpiece speech is a constitutional oddity — and one with a particular twist this year, as the new sovereign read out a list of government bills that included policies likely to be sharply at variance with his personal views.

Among those were Mr. Sunak’s plan to exploit more of Britain’s oil and gas reserves in the North Sea. Although the Conservative government argues that it will still meet its targets for Britain to become a net-zero emitter of carbon dioxide by 2050, the decision to license more fossil fuel extraction has angered campaigners against climate change — a cause close to the king’s heart for decades.

King Charles made his first major speech about the environment in 1970, at age 21, and in recent years has been an increasingly vocal advocate for climate action. In a speech in France in September, he urged the world to “strive together to protect the world from our most existential challenge of all : that of global warming, climate change and the catastrophic destruction of nature.”

Still, wearing the heavy, jewel-encrusted Imperial State Crown and seated on a throne, King Charles on Tuesday showed the poker face expected of a British monarch as he delivered the “King’s Speech,” an occasion famous less for politics than for protocol, elaborate royal regalia and intricate choreography.

As he announced that one of the government’s bills “will support the future licensing of new oil and gas fields,” his expression betrayed little emotion.

The sovereign’s speech at the state opening of Parliament “is an oddity we have kept because the ceremonial is part of the monarchy — but the speech itself is just the government setting out its policies. That’s where the weirdness originates,” said Catherine Haddon, program director at the Institute for Government, an independent think tank.

The monarchy’s commitment to political neutrality was consolidated during Elizabeth’s reign, and “everything we have seen suggests that Charles is looking to show continuity,” Ms. Haddon said.

Although this was the first such speech delivered by a king in seven decades, the pomp and pageantry followed a practiced routine. Traveling in a horse-drawn carriage, accompanied by his wife and queen, Camilla, the king arrived at Parliament to fanfare, then followed the same route within the building to the chamber of the House of Lords that was first taken by Queen Victoria in the mid 19th century.

King Charles paid a brief tribute to his mother as he began reading the 10-minute speech.

The government had already confirmed that its legislative plans included offering oil and gas licensing rounds each year, as opposed to the current system where they take place periodically.

The Conservatives, trailing badly in the opinion polls, want to set up a political dividing line with the opposition Labour Party, which has said that it would honor licenses in the North Sea but not grant any new ones if it wins power.

On Monday Downing Street said it saw no contradiction between its proposal and the climate change goals championed by the king. Using British energy resources would allow net zero targets to be achieved in a “pragmatic way that doesn’t burden hard-working families,” Mr. Sunak’s official spokesman said.

This is likely to be the last King’s Speech before the next general election, which must be held by January 2025, and analysts believe the government’s policies are aimed at cementing its core right-wing constituency .

Mr. Sunak’s rethinking of climate policy followed his party’s success in a special election for a London parliamentary seat this summer after it campaigned against a measure that charges people more to drive older, more polluting, cars.

The unexpected victory prompted Mr. Sunak to weaken several environmental measures in September when he said he would delay a ban on the sale of gasoline and diesel cars and would also lower targets for replacing gas boilers.

On Tuesday the government announced legislation on crime that aims to ensure that offenders of the most serious offenses will stay in prison for longer and be forced to face their victims in court. It also unveiled legislation to implement a gradual ban on smoking, promised in an earlier speech by Mr. Sunak. Under the proposal it would be illegal to sell cigarettes to those born after January 2009.

Though the Labour Party approves of some of the measures announced on Tuesday, its leader, Keir Starmer, told Parliament that the Conservatives “are not even pretending to govern anymore, they’ve given up on any sense of service: They see our country’s problems as something to be exploited, not solved.”

Some Britons are still getting accustomed to the idea of a king delivering a speech that, during her seven-decade reign, was read on 67 occasions by Queen Elizabeth. King Charles was deputized for his mother in May 2022 when she was unable to attend because of her failing health, and read what was known then as the Queen’s Speech.

Elizabeth spent a lifetime observing political neutrality, rarely revealing her personal thoughts on any issue of contention.

But even she could not avoid speculation about her views. When she read the Queen’s Speech in 2017 but did not wear her crown, there were questions about whether the colors of her hat — blue embroidered with a pattern of yellow flowers that to some resembled the European Union flag — were a statement about Brexit .

Last week Buckingham Palace said King Charles would give an opening address at the COP 28 climate meeting, which begins later this month in Dubai. But Ms. Haddon said that the fact that his views on climate change are so well known could make the king more scrupulous in appearing neutral.

Established in the late 14th century, the state opening marks the beginning of the parliamentary year. The modern ceremony dates to 1852, when a rebuilt Parliament reopened after a fire.

Early in her reign, Queen Victoria attended the state opening regularly, but that lapsed by the end of her time on the throne, when she often resisted requests from prime ministers to appear in person.

Her relations with the politicians of the day were not always harmonious, particularly with William Gladstone, a prime minister who, she complained, “speaks to me as if I were a public meeting.” (In contrast, Benjamin Disraeli, a rival who also served as prime minister, flattered and charmed the queen.)

Her successor, King Edward VII, revived the state opening as a ceremonial occasion, including a procession in the state coach through the streets of London. More than a century later, Tuesday’s event followed a similar pattern with a few modern additions, including the presence of anti-monarchy protesters assembled along the route taken by the king’s carriage — to whom Charles waved, calmly.

Stephen Castle is London correspondent, writing widely about Britain, including the country’s politics and relationship with Europe. More about Stephen Castle

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Law and order and the economy are focus of the British government’s King’s Speech

HEADLINE: King Charles III leads state opening of parliament

Britain’s King Charles III speaks during the State Opening of Parliament at the Palace of Westminster in London, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. King Charles III sits on a gilded throne to read out the King’s Speech, a list of planned laws drawn up by the Conservative government and aimed at winning over voters ahead of an election next year. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, Pool)

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Britain’s King Charles III sits besides Queen Camilla during the State Opening of Parliament at the Palace of Westminster in London, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. King Charles III sits on a gilded throne and reads out the King’s Speech, a list of planned laws drawn up by the Conservative government and aimed at winning over voters ahead of an election next year. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, Pool)

Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunk, right, and Labour Party leader Keir Starmer pass through the Peer’s Lobby to attend the State Opening of Parliament, at the Palace of Westminster in London, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. King Charles III will sit on a gilded throne and read out the King’s Speech, a list of planned laws drawn up by the Conservative government and aimed at winning over voters ahead of an election next year. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, Pool)

Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla return to Buckingham Palace in the State Coach after attending the State Opening of Parliament at the Palace of Westminster in London, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Britain’s King Charles III delivers his speech during the State Opening of Parliament at the Houses of Parliament, in London, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. King Charles III read out a speech, written by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government, outlining its legislative plans for the next year. (Leon Neal/Pool Photo via AP)

The chamber fills up ahead of the King’s Speech for the State Opening of Parliament, at the Palace of Westminster in London, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. King Charles III will sit on a gilded throne and read out the King’s Speech, a list of planned laws drawn up by the Conservative government and aimed at winning over voters ahead of an election next year. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, Pool)

The Yeoman of the Guard Ceremonial Search takes place ahead of the King’s Speech during the State Opening of Parliament, at the Palace of Westminster in London, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. King Charles III sits on a gilded throne and read out the King’s Speech, a list of planned laws drawn up by the Conservative government and aimed at winning over voters ahead of an election next year. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, Pool)

Members of the House of Lords wait for the start of the State Opening of Parliament at the Houses of Parliament, in London, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. King Charles III will read out a speech, written by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government, outlining its legislative plans for the next year. (Leon Neal/Pool Photo via AP)

The Yeoman of the Guard Ceremonial Search pass through the Peer’s Lobby to attend the State Opening of Parliament, at the Palace of Westminster in London, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. King Charles III will sit on a gilded throne and read out the King’s Speech, a list of planned laws drawn up by the Conservative government and aimed at winning over voters ahead of an election next year. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, Pool)

The embroidery of a members of the Judiciary is seen before the start of the State Opening of Parliament at the Houses of Parliament, in London, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. King Charles III will read out a speech, written by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government, outlining its legislative plans for the next year. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, Pool)

Members of the Judiciary wait the start of the State Opening of Parliament at the Houses of Parliament, in London, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. King Charles III will read out a speech, written by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government, outlining its legislative plans for the next year. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, Pool)

Members of the King’s Body Guards of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms arrive at the Sovereign’s Entrance to the Palace of Westminster ahead of the State Opening of Parliament in the House of Lords, London, Tuesday Nov. 7, 2023. (Victoria Jones/Pool Photo via AP)

Members of the House of Lords check their phones as they wait for the start of the State Opening of Parliament at the Houses of Parliament, in London, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. King Charles III will read out a speech, written by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government, outlining its legislative plans for the next year. (Leon Neal/Pool Photo via AP)

The King’s Bodyguard, the Yeomen of the Guard, arrives at the Sovereign’s Entrance to the Palace of Westminster ahead of the State Opening of Parliament in the House of Lords, London, Tuesday Nov. 7, 2023. (Victoria Jones/Pool Photo via AP)

Members of the Household Cavalry stand guard at the Norman Porch ahead of the State Opening of Parliament at the Houses of Parliament in London, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. King Charles III will read out a speech, written by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government, outlining its legislative plans for the next year. (Toby Melville/Pool Photo via AP)

The royal cypher of Britain’s King Charles is seen on the uniform of a member of the Gentlemen at Arms in the Norman Porch ahead of the State Opening of Parliament at the Houses of Parliament in London, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. King Charles III will read out a speech, written by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government, outlining its legislative plans for the next year. (Toby Melville/Pool Photo via AP)

Britain’s Queen Camilla arrives at the Sovereign’s Entrance to the Palace of Westminster ahead of the State Opening of Parliament in the House of Lords, London, Tuesday Nov. 7, 2023. (Victoria Jones/Pool Photo via AP)

Anti-monarchy demonstrators hold placards in Parliament Street, ahead of the State Opening of Parliament at the Houses of Parliament, in London, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. King Charles III will read out a speech, written by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government, outlining its legislative plans for the next year.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Britain’s King Charles III delivers his speech as Queen Camilla sits next to him during the State Opening of Parliament at the Houses of Parliament, in London, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. King Charles III read out a speech, written by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government, outlining its legislative plans for the next year. (Leon Neal/Pool Photo via AP)

Lady Usher of the Black Rod, Sarah Clarke, at the Sovereign’s Entrance to the Palace of Westminster ahead of the State Opening of Parliament in the House of Lords, London, Tuesday Nov. 7, 2023. (Victoria Jones/Pool Photo via AP)

Britain’s King Charles III arrives at the Sovereign’s Entrance to the Palace of Westminster ahead of the State Opening of Parliament in the House of Lords, London, Tuesday Nov. 7, 2023. (Victoria Jones/Pool Photo via AP)

Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla meet cast members of the Royal Ballet after their performance of Carlos Acosta’s “Don Quixote,” at the Royal Opera House in London, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. (Hollie Adams/Pool Photo via AP)

Britain’s King Charles III meets cast members of the Royal Ballet after their performance of Carlos Acosta’s “Don Quixote,” at the Royal Opera House in London, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. (Hollie Adams/Pool Photo via AP)

Britain’s King Charles III meets cast members of the Royal Ballet after their performance of Carlos Acosta’s “Don Quixote,” at the Royal Opera House in London, Tueday, Nov. 7, 2023. (Hollie Adams/Pool Photo via AP)

Britain’s King Charles III, second left, Queen Camilla, center, Chair of the Royal Opera House Board of Trustees Sir Lloyd Dorfman, left, and Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House Alex Beard, right, attend the Royal Ballet’s performance of Carlos Acosta’s “Don Quixote,” at the Royal Opera House in London, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. (Hollie Adams/Pool Photo via AP)

Britain’s King Charles III, second left, Queen Camilla, center, Chair of the Royal Opera House Board of Trustees Sir Lloyd Dorfman, left, Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House Alex Beard, third right, Lord Lieutenant of Greater London Sir Kenneth Olisa, right, attend the Royal Ballet’s performance of Carlos Acosta’s “Don Quixote,” at the Royal Opera House in London, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. (Hollie Adams/Pool Photo via AP)

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s Conservative government set out a pre-election policy slate including tougher sentences for serious crimes and promises of elusive economic growth on Tuesday in a speech delivered by King Charles III at the grand State Opening of Parliament .

The king read out a speech written by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government, outlining its legislative plans for the next year. The government said it was making “difficult but necessary long-term decisions to change this country for the better.” Opposition politicians and business groups called it a lightweight speech short on measures to kickstart a sluggish economy.

It’s almost certainly the last such speech before a national election, and Sunak’s first chance to set out major legislative plans since he became prime minister just over a year ago. The last session of Parliament opened in May 2022, when Boris Johnson was prime minister and Queen Elizabeth II sat on the throne.

Charles became monarch when his mother died in September 2022 after a 70-year reign. He paid tribute to “my beloved mother” at the start of the first King’s — rather than Queen’s — Speech since 1951.

The speech gave clues to how the Conservatives plan to campaign in an election that must be called by the end of 2024. The Tories have been in power since 2010, but opinion polls put them up to 20 points behind the opposition Labour Party.

There was a strong focus on law and order, an area where the Conservatives think they have an edge over left-of-center Labour. The speech announced tougher sentences for serious offenses, including no-parole “life means life” sentences for people convicted of sadistic murders and an end to early release for serious sexual offenders.

The speech, which lasted just over 10 minutes, set out a modest slate of 21 bills, ranging from changes to the way soccer teams are run to a clampdown on unlicensed pedicabs.

Several laws were touted as “Brexit freedoms” enabled by the U.K.'s exit from the European Union, including less stringent data-protection rules to replace the EU’s GDPR, and a ban on exporting live animals for slaughter.

The government also announced plans to continue the watering-down of environmental measures started by Sunak when he lifted a moratorium on North Sea oil and gas extraction in July. A planned law will require new oil and gas drilling licenses in the North Sea to be awarded every year. The government argues that will protect jobs, cut Britain’s reliance on foreign fuel and increase energy security.

Environmentalists and opposition parties say it will just make it harder for the U.K. to switch to renewable energy and to meet its goal of reducing U.K. greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.

“The lack of legislation to match the efforts of the EU and U.S.A. on green industrial strategy is a huge backwards step,” said George Dibb of left-leaning think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research.

The king, a lifelong champion of green causes, gave no flicker of emotion as he announced the plan for more oil drilling. Monarchs are constitutionally obliged to follow the government’s advice, and Charles is barred from expressing his view on the measures he read out on behalf of “my government.”

Detailed economic plans were scant, though the speech included legislation aimed at developing, and regulating, sectors such as AI and self-driving cars, and a law to open Britain’s market to Pacific Rim nations as part of a trade agreement, known as the CPTPP, that the U.K. joined this year.

Treasury chief Jeremy Hunt is due to give more economic details in an autumn budget statement on Nov. 22.

“The King’s Speech opened with an aspiration to increase economic growth – but it failed to outline how that will happen,” said Alex Veitch, director of policy and insight at the British Chambers of Commerce.

There also was legislation to enact Sunak’s plan to stop new generations from smoking by gradually raising the minimum age for buying tobacco , so that no one turning 14 this year can ever legally be sold cigarettes.

Several bills were carried over from the last session, including a contentious plan to ban public bodies from imposing “politically motivated boycotts of foreign countries” – a law aimed at stopping boycotts of Israel.

Several past promises were delayed or jettisoned, including a long-pledged ban on so-called “conversion therapy” that seeks to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Gay-rights charity Stonewall called that “an abject failure to protect for the most vulnerable members of the LGBTQ+ community.”

The King’s Speech was the centerpiece of a parliamentary opening ceremony that reflects the two sides of Britain’s constitutional monarchy: royal pomp and political power.

The day began with scarlet-clad yeomen of the guard searching Parliament’s cellars for explosives, a reference to the 1605 Gunpowder Plot in which Roman Catholic rebels led by Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the building with the Protestant King James I inside.

The king traveled from Buckingham Palace in a gilded horse-drawn carriage, past a few dozen anti-monarchy protesters holding signs reading “Not my king.” He read the speech from a golden throne, wearing the Robe of State and the Imperial State Crown, encrusted with almost 3,000 diamonds.

Hundreds of lawmakers and red-robed members of the House of Lords packed Parliament’s unelected upper chamber for the speech. Monarchs have been barred from entering the House of Commons since King Charles I tried to arrest lawmakers there in 1642 – an act of royal overreach that led to civil war and the monarchy’s temporary overthrow.

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In his speech, King Charles spoke of ‘my government’. Well, it certainly isn’t ours

The shabby state of British democracy was made plain by a king’s speech tailored not for the country’s needs, but the Tories’ own grubby ends

A mong the many silly splendours in the state opening of parliament, one detail conveys the weirdness of British democracy more precisely than the rest. It isn’t the gilded carriage that brings the sovereign to the Palace of Westminster or the separate coach for the crown. It isn’t the pantomime of Black Rod knocking for admittance to the Commons, nor is it the goatskin parchment on which the legislative agenda is printed.

None of the pomp and frippery on display on Tuesday offends political modernity quite as much as the words “my government will …” This is the formula King Charles uses, as a matter of convention, when announcing forthcoming actions of what is, as a matter of constitutional fact, his government. This doesn’t mean that the king has asked for a ban on cigarette sales or tougher prison sentences for recidivist burglars, or extra licences for North Sea gas extraction . (If his well-known environmentalist credentials are bona fide, he is surely appalled by the dash for hydrocarbons.)

This first-person possessive pronoun is an artefact of history, but also a reminder that power in this country is loaned from on high as much as it is mandated from below. Prime ministers are crown appointees. Rishi Sunak was invited to do the job as leader of the party that commands a Commons majority. It was won four years ago under a leader whose epic disgrace and unfitness for office have never been properly recognised by the man who now enjoys the benefit of the hand-me-down mandate.

The additional accident of the prize slipping into Sunak’s possession via Liz Truss’s buttery fingers puts democratic legitimacy at one further remove. Such prolonged abuse of a party’s electoral endorsement highlights the monarchical character of a prime minister’s power. Executive control is wielded through parliament on behalf of the crown.

On what basis is Sunak setting the terms for political debate in the year leading up to a general election? The answer is in the question. There has been no attempt to camouflage the campaigning function of the programme laid out in parliament on Tuesday.

Downing Street’s strategy to prevent a landslide defeat focuses on people who backed Boris Johnson in 2019 and now tell pollsters they are undecided. They feel it is probably time for a change, but view Labour and Keir Starmer with wariness shading into suspicion. Even if they don’t warm to the opposition they can do the Tories plenty of damage by staying at home on polling day, or expressing general disgust for Westminster politics via Reform , the party of perpetual and paranoid Brexit-spirited grievance.

Repatriating those voters to the Tories involves reassuring them that no one else will be as tough on crime and immigration; also that Labour is for student ecowarriors who would rather stage a sit-in on the dual carriageway than get Britain’s economy motoring again. Hence locking more people up for longer , and drilling harder into the seabed. What these bills might practically achieve is wholly subordinate to the parameters they can impose on public debate. If all goes to plan, they will confine Starmer to corners of the political arena where he is least comfortable.

Britain’s chronically underfunded and demoralised Prison Service cannot cope with more inmates. The world’s overheating atmosphere needs fewer carbon emissions. But Sunak is relaxed about that if he can salvage a few Tory seats in the West Midlands.

This is not a constitutional innovation. There is ample precedent for unworkable statutes being drafted (and worthy ones sabotaged by amendment) to score tactical points at the expense of good lawmaking.

But it feels especially grubby when the government has such a tenuous claim to be acting on behalf of the electorate. It feels like another step in the degradation of a parliamentary ethos that values the responsible exercise of power over the shallow political sport of winning at all costs. Brexit played a large part in the blurring of that distinction. The referendum fed an ostensibly simple plebiscitary mandate – take Britain out of the EU – into machinery of representative democracy that couldn’t cope with the actual complexity of the task.

The resulting legislative impasse amplified the populist lament that remainer elites, nested in the Palace of Westminster, were thwarting the will of the people. (Although, in practice, leave-supporting Tory MPs stopped Britain leaving the EU many times by voting down Theresa May’s deal). The climax of that constitutional crisis was Johnson’s unlawful prorogation of parliament in August 2019 – notable also as an abuse of those crown powers that are meant to be ceremonial. Ultimate resolution, once the supreme court had slapped the prime minister down , was achieved by the Tories’ subsequent landslide election victory.

That cleared the way for Brexit by also purging sensible administrators from Conservative benches. A cadre of circus blusterers and nationalist culture warriors was promoted instead.

The pandemic then further sidelined an ideologically neutered parliament. The Commons chamber operated through lockdowns, but in debilitated form. The expedient powers claimed by the government to act quickly in a national emergency combined with a culture of rule-bending and contempt for accountability in Downing Street to deactivate written and unwritten parts of the constitution that are supposed to keep executive power in check.

That would have been a dangerous situation even under a prime minister equipped with an ethical compass and the professional competence appropriate to governing in times of global peril. We had Johnson. His inadequacy for the task has been narrated in gruesome detail for the Covid inquiry by officials who had to navigate the foulness of No 10 during the pandemic. But it was never a secret. The Tories made him their leader precisely because he had an amoral gift for getting away with things that conscientious people would be ashamed to even try. They backed him every time he lied on camera and in parliament.

Those MPs who eventually abandoned Johnson did so not in shock at his true character, which they all knew, but in horror at the effect its exposure had on Tory poll ratings. Even then, scores of Conservatives fancied a reversion to “Boris” when the time came to replace Truss. When the Commons voted to censure the former prime minister for his serial derelictions of duty – a step towards reasserting the authority of parliament and its self-respect – Sunak abstained.

He wants distance from Johnson, because the legacy is befouled, but not a break so clean as to imply that the ousted leader’s mandate has expired, since it is the same licence that Downing Street now uses to dictate the legislative agenda – and in the same cynical spirit.

In constitutional terms, this is all above board, but as democracy in the 21st century, it stinks. There was a vacancy for a prime minister so the king asked Sunak to form a government; his government. And when all the pageantry is over, when the carriages are parked and the medieval tabards are back in the dressing-up box, that little possessive pronoun hangs in the air with a question attached. Whose government is this, apart from His Majesty’s? Not mine. Not ours.

Rafael Behr is a Guardian columnist

Rafael Behr will be discussing the legacy of Brexit with other Guardian journalists in a livestreamed Guardian Live event on 23 November. Find more info and tickets here .

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King’s speech: what is it and why does it matter?

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Sean Lang does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

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Today, King Charles will give his first speech from the throne as monarch. He delivered the queen’s speech once as Prince of Wales, deputising in May 2022 for his mother, who could not attend. This is the first speech by a king since 1951, though on that occasion King George VI was too ill to attend and the speech was read out by the Lord Chancellor .

Who writes the king’s speech and why does it matter?

The king’s speech is the central part of the ceremony marking the state opening of parliament .

At the start of each parliamentary session, the monarch goes – in a state coach and escorted by the household cavalry – to the House of Lords, accompanied by the crown as a symbol of his royal authority. There, he reads out a speech outlining the government’s plans and priorities for the year ahead.

Although it is known as the king’s speech, it is actually written by the government, for the monarch. In 1964, an irreverent Private Eye cover had Queen Elizabeth II reading the speech while saying: “I hope you realise I didn’t write this crap.”

The speech and the ceremony are a reminder of the constitutional relationship of crown and government. Although political power rests with the prime minister and cabinet, there is nevertheless a layer of authority above them.

What happens at the speech?

The tradition of a king’s speech has its origins in the medieval parliament, but the speech from the throne as we know it today first evolved in the late 17th century , when parliament finally established its power over the monarch.

Much of the modern ritual is a Victorian concoction. The monarch sits on the royal throne in the House of Lords – the upper house. Members of parliament are imperiously summoned by a royal official known as the gentleman usher of the black rod (though the office is currently held by a woman, and so: the lady Usher of the black rod). No seats are provided for MPs, so they have to crowd into an inadequate space at the back.

Meanwhile, the door of the Commons is slammed in black rod’s face as a reminder of the independence of the Commons. And that, ever since 1642, when Charles I entered the chamber with armed men in a foiled attempt to arrest five MPs, the House of Commons is the one place in the realm where the monarch is not allowed to step.

MPs amble informally down to the upper house to show they are going because they choose to, not because they are summoned, and the speech they are to hear is the work of the government, not the king. It’s political theatre.

What if the monarch disagrees with the speech?

Whatever his private feelings, the monarch must not show any overt preference for any political party, so the speech is always read in as neutral a tone as possible. Sometimes the speech might include current acronyms or technical terms which sit strangely with the glittering jewellery and gold on display, but the monarch must read it all, giving nothing away either by tone of voice or facial expression.

The monarch has the right to advise, warn and encourage the prime minister on policy. In return he must always follow the prime minister’s advice and he must read the prime minister’s speech.

This means that a monarch might solemnly read out a speech written by one party, and, a year later, if there has been a change of government, equally solemnly read out a speech outlining a completely different programme and written by their opponents.

What can we expect from this year’s king’s speech?

The grand ceremonial of the state opening has sometimes been scaled down, in wartime or if the economic situation suggests tactful restraint. This is something the king himself has to gauge, with advice from the government.

The speech is the first indication of the government’s legislative priorities for the year ahead. We can certainly expect reference to housing and the cost of living crisis, and possibly to the ongoing crises in Gaza and Ukraine. Reports have indicated that the speech will also include bills related to the prime minister’s pro-motorist plans, a gradual smoking ban and leasehold reform.

After the speech, the monarch makes an equally ceremonial departure and MPs shuffle off back to the Commons where they begin a debate, which normally lasts a week. This is called a humble address to the monarch, thanking him for his gracious speech, but in reality offering MPs a chance to support or attack the government for its now-public list of intentions. And so normal politics resumes.

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When is the King's Speech 2023? Charles III to deliver his first opening of Parliament

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Britain’s next term of Parliament is set to commence on Tuesday, November 7 when Charles III will read his first King’s Speech as monarch.

While he had previously deputised for his mother, Queen Elizabeth II , it is the first time that he will preside over the ceremonial event on his own terms.

The speech will contain the Government’s plans for new laws and legislation for the year ahead as well as its priorities.

It is likely to be the final opening of Parliament before the next general election – although the precise date has yet to be decided .

The speech will also be the first since Rishi Sunak became prime minister last October and will give him the chance to shape his pre-election plans.

When is the King's Speech?

The King’s Speech will be on Tuesday, November 7, from 11.30am.

You can follow the events live here in our blog.

This will represent the State Opening of Parliament.

MPs were on their summer recess from July 25 to September 4 but then went into recess again from September 19 to October 16 for party conferences to take place.

The dates were previously announced by the Leader of the House of Commons , Penny Mordaunt.

Who writes the King’s Speech?

The Government is the author of the speech.

It usually lasts around 10 minutes, while the exact amount of time varies on how many proposed laws and other announcements (such as foreign policy objectives) are included.

In order to avoid coming out as politically supportive, the King gives the speech in an impartial manner.

Do MPs vote on the King’s Speech?

Yes, MPs reconvene in the House of Commons to commence the deliberation of the speech's contents, approximately two hours following its delivery.

The prime minister will "sell" the address to the Commons, outlining his or her vision for the nation, following opening remarks by two Members of Parliament.

Subsequently, the opposition leader has the opportunity to address the group before any other members are permitted to speak.

Known as "the Humble Address", the debate lasts for roughly five days. Then, there is a vote to conclude the discussion.

It is rare for a government to lose it. As a matter of fact, the last time a government lost a vote was under Conservative PM Stanley Baldwin in January 1924.

George V was the reigning monarch at the time, and Baldwin delivered a King's Speech despite having lost the majority in the general election held the month before. After being forced to resign, Labour established a temporary administration in his stead.

What does the King's Speech contain?

Parliament’s website says: “The State Opening marks the beginning of the parliamentary session. Its main purpose is for the Monarch to formally open Parliament and, in the King’s Speech, outline the Government's proposed policies and legislation for the coming parliamentary session.”

The 2022 speech was noteworthy for its levelling-up agenda. It is not known as yet what the 2023 speech will contain but the recent Tory party conference could provide clues .

This included homes and planning reforms although the event was mired by the decision to cancel the northern leg of HS2 – something which will not be in the King’s Speech.

Ms Mordaunt said in July that the Government had introduced 16 bills; 10 had received royal assent and more would follow shortly.

When was the last King’s Speech?

This is the first speech from the throne in the House of Lords that King Charles III will deliver as King. In May 2022, he delivered the Queen’s Speech. He and Prince William were counsellors of State, acting on Her late Majesty the Queen’s behalf.

So, the most recent King’s Speech was the one prior to Elizabeth II’s reign, which began in 1952.

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King's Speech shows government has 'no plan' to end rough sleeping or tackle long-term problems

The controversial plan to criminalise tents for rough sleepers has seemingly been dropped, but plans for to ban no-fault evictions and conversion therapy have also been abandoned

In the last King's Speech before the next general election, King Charles read out the government's plans for new laws. Image: Parliament TV

King Charles has delivered the first King’s Speech in more than 70 years, outlining the government’s legislative agenda – from renters’ reform to new oil and gas licences.

Among 21 measures laid out by the monarch, there was a notable absence. The weekend was marked by controversy over home secretary Suella Braverman’s comments that homelessness is a “lifestyle choice” for many.

But Braverman’s plan to ban homeless charities from handing out tents was absent, amid reports the measure is “still undergoing scrutiny” .

With republican protesters greeting the monarch’s gold carriage, and body language experts searching for a hint of emotion in his delivery, the speech outlines exactly what we can expect from government before the next election. Here’s what you need to know, with reaction and analysis from expert voices.

Plan to criminalise tents for rough sleepers have seemingly been dropped, with no mention in the King’s Speech

Although the Criminal Justice Bill promises to tackle “persistent, nuisance, and organised begging”, there was no mention of Braverman’s plans to stop people pitching tents in public places.

It raises the question of whether this was ever government policy in the first place as the wait goes on to replace the Vagrancy Act.

The almost-200-year-old act criminalises rough sleeping and begging and was finally repealed as part of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act last year.

But it remains in force until the government brings in a replacement and now looks set to still be in use 200 years after it was first introduced to deal with soldiers on the streets following the Napoleonic Wars.

The absence of Braverman’s widely-condemned proposal was welcomed by Lee Buss-Blair, director of operations at housing association Riverside. But he warned it could make a come back when ministers replace the Vagrancy Act. 

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“We were pleased to see no mention of proposals in the King’s Speech which could have effectively criminalised the use of tents by people sleeping rough,” said Buss-Blair.

“We are unsure what this now means for those proposals and whether those proposals could resurface in the Vagrancy Act and we are working with partners in the sector to get clarification on this issue.”

Matt Downie, chief executive of homelessness charity Crisis, said the government could now choose whether to “turn the tide” on rough sleeping.

“ We’re pleased that the government appears to have listened to the concerns raised by the homelessness sector and wider public, and is reconsidering the hugely damaging proposals to criminalise the use of tents by people sleeping rough,” said Downie

“As we have said time and time again, these punitive laws cause untold harm to some of the most marginalised people in society and only serve to push them further away from crucial help.”

But beyond this, the government has “no plan” for ending rough sleeping, warned the charity Centrepoint.

“The government started the week with a bad plan for replacing the Vagrancy Act and it looks like they’ll end it with no plan at all,” said Alicia Walker, head of policy, research and campaigns at Centrepoint.

“The home secretary’s intervention looked at street homelessness as a public nuisance when the truth is it is a political problem with political answers. The government recognised this when it pledged to end rough sleeping in its manifesto and the fact that they look set to break that pledge should be their only focus now.”

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New oil and gas licences will be issued

All eyes were on noted environmentalist Charles as he read out the government’s plans to issue new oil and gas licences.

In the speech, written by the government, Charles detailed a new bill which will “support the future licensing of new oil and gas fields, helping the country to transition to net zero by 2050 without adding undue burdens on households”.

It’s one in the eye for Just Stop Oil, but the government insists it won’t harm the country’s chances of reaching net zero.

That’s a controversial position. Leo Murray, co-director of climate charity Possible, said new licenses won’t help.

“Saying we’ll get to net zero by extracting oil and gas is like saying you’re going to put out a fire with a petrol pump. We know it won’t bring down bills or improve energy security – only rapid investment and roll out of renewables will do the job,” said Murray.

Campaigners also highlighted that the plans did little to help those struggling with high energy prices in the here and now.

Simon Francis, coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, said: “There was nothing in the King’s Speech which will help people stay warm this winter – no mention of an emergency energy tariff for vulnerable households nor a help to repay scheme for the record numbers currently in energy debt.

“Meanwhile, the government’s plan to award more oil and gas licences is not the answer, what we need is much more investment in insulation and homegrown renewables. In fact, the past 13 years and hundreds of North Sea licences have yielded just 16 days worth of gas coming onto the grid, not enough to keep people warm every winter.”

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Plans to protect renters ‘ring hollow’ without no-fault eviction ban

Housing got a mention, with Charles outlining the current shape of the long-awaited Renters Reform Bill.

Renters will benefit from “stronger security of tenure and better value” – meaning better standards of homes, and getting better conditions for what you pay for.

But the King also said landlords will “benefit from reforms to provide certainty that they can regain their properties when needed”.

Notably absent from this was the ban on no-fault evictions – a leading driver of homelessness – which the government confirmed would now not take place until stronger possession grounds and a new court process is in place. That effectively means the bill’s headline change has been delayed indefinitely. 

Maya Singer Hobbs, senior research fellow at think tank IPPR, said: “The promise to protect renters, but without abolishing Section 21 ’no-fault’ evictions outright, rings hollow when people are at risk of eviction now.”

The conversion therapy ban has disappeared

Despite featuring in previous Queen’s Speeches, the ban on conversion therapy has disappeared from the government’s agenda .

This change has been branded a betrayal by Jayne Ozanne, founder of the anti-discrimination charity the Ozanne Foundation and a survivor of conversion therapy.

“To break your flagship promise to a community that has seen a significant rise in hate crime is a total moral failure. To do so after five years of posturing, with minimal engagement with victims of ‘conversion therapy’, shows just how callously the government treats LGBTQ+ lives,” said Ozanne.

“The government has chosen to prioritise appeasing perpetrators, condemning many to untold abuse that is now sanctioned by the state.

“The prime minister’s failure to act will be remembered for years to come, it will take generations for LGBTQ+ people to trust his party again – indeed I know many in Britain will now clearly see just how he prioritises marginalised communities in his care.”

No reform of the Mental Health Act in King’s Speech

Another notable absence was reform of the Mental Health Act, meaning this will now not happen before the next general election. Campaigners have long raised concerns that the current act is ill-equipped to help those in crisis.

“Today’s King’s Speech was the last opportunity for this government to honour its commitment to reform the Mental Health Act. The failure to introduce a Mental Health Bill is a profound betrayal to people that have been detained under the Mental Health Act and everyone who has campaigned for decades to reform it,” said Mark Winstanley, chief executive of Rethink Mental Illness. 

“It is difficult not to conclude that the march of progress to prioritise the nation’s mental health and challenge the stigma of mental illness has stalled. What makes this decision even harder to swallow is that reform had been mapped out and agreed in draft legislation and has cross-party support.”

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King Charles thanks Commonwealth for 'thoughtful good wishes' amid cancer recovery

King Charles III is expressing his gratitude to the people of the Commonwealth for both their achievements and their support as he undergoes treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer .

The United Kingdom's annual Commonwealth Day celebrates the connection, however under threat, between the monarchy and the various nations it remains linked to, such as Australia, India and several Caribbean islands and African countries.

To commemorate the day, Charles released a videotaped speech on Monday, which was recorded last month in Windsor Castle.

"In recent weeks, I have been most deeply touched by your wonderfully kind and thoughtful good wishes for my health and, in return, can only continue to serve you, to the best of my ability, throughout the Commonwealth," he said. "My belief in our shared endeavors and in the potential of our people remains as sure and strong as it has ever been. I have no doubt that we will continue to support one another across the Commonwealth as, together, we continue this vital journey."

The 2024 theme of Commonwealth is "One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Commonwealth," according to Buckingham Palace.

"The 75th anniversary of the Commonwealth is a moment to reflect on the remarkable journey that our unique family of free and independent nations has made since 1949," Charles said at the start of his speech.

The monarch said the Commonwealth remains strong "through friendship," adding, "the Commonwealth is like the wiring of a house, and its people, our energy and our ideas are the current that runs through those wires. Together and individually, we are strengthened by sharing perspectives and experiences, and by offering and borrowing the myriad ways we have each tackled the challenges of our time."

Charles praised the "diversity" of the Commonwealth as its "greatest strength" because it brings "different experiences, knowledge, and aspirations."

"Wherever we live, we are united by the many challenges we face – whether it be climate change, the loss of nature, or the social and economic changes that new technologies are bringing," he continued. "All of this means that we must work together to understand each other’s perspectives, including the inequalities and injustices which still resonate to this day."

The British leader added: "We must find ways of healing, and to support each other to pursue solutions."

Charles concluded his speech by emphasizing the importance of the youth "who make up two-thirds of the entire Commonwealth population."

"Whether in Kenya or Malaysia, Vanuatu or Dominica, Malta, or Canada, I never cease to be impressed by their creativity, innovative skills and hard work, often in the most challenging circumstances," he said.

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Charles is notably absent from making a physical appearance during Commonwealth Day.

Prince William, Camilla are taking lead amid King Charles' absence. Is it sustainable?

On March 3, Buckingham Palace announced that Camilla and William will helm responsibilities for the day at Westminster Abbey alongside other royals.

Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Queen Elizabeth II's cousins Prince Richard and Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, are among the working royals to be in attendance.

The public will be paying extra attention to how the family is coping and will be a key indicator if Britons still have faith in the monarchy.

"There will be increased scrutiny of the royal family at the Commonwealth Day service as this is an occasion that brings the working members of the royal family together," Carolyn Harris, co-editor of "English Consorts: Power, Influence and Dynasty" and a professor at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies, previously told USA TODAY.

Contributing: Jay Stahl and Marco della Cava, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

Related: Why King Charles has been 'reduced to tears' following cancer diagnosis

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• Crime, justice and law

King's Counsel appointments ceremony 2024: Lord Chancellor speech

Lord Chancellor’s speech at the 2024 King’s Counsel appointment ceremony, recognising those who have been formally appointed to the rank of KC and Honorary KC.

It’s my very great pleasure to be here today to preside over the formal appointment of all those achieving the rank of King’s Counsel, and to welcome our next cohort of Honorary King’s Counsel. My warmest congratulations to you all. For each one of you, this is an enormous personal achievement, and this celebration is richly deserved.

We hold this ceremony in historic surroundings, the very epicentre of our democracy. Over the decades audiences have heard in this hall from statesmen and politicians such as De Gaulle, Mandela, Obama,  Aung San Suu Kyi, Zelenskyy. And now me. I hope you don’t feel too short-changed. Spare a thought for those amongst you who have had the dubious honour of being my opponent in court, or have even acted alongside me in an Oscar Wilde play as an undergraduate in the Brasenose Arts Festival.

Now it is of course no accident that we are in this particular building today. This is the location of our first ever permanent law court – the court of King’s Bench. It was later home to the Court of Common Pleas and the Court of the Chancery.

These walls have witnessed many great trials. King Charles I, William Wallace, Thomas More were all tried here, and it was in this hall that Guy Fawkes was convicted and sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered. Which brings me neatly on to our latest tough on crime policy announcement… 

Now, the title of King’s Counsel has for centuries been a mark of quality, setting apart those who achieve it as the very best of our jurisdiction. The rank signifies the highest regard for legal ability, for diligence, for professionalism and for integrity. And, for our Honorary KCs, it recognises your exceptional contribution to our legal system outside of legal practice.

A word to your supporters. I’ve no doubt that your family, friends and loved ones here today are proud; but more than that, they should know they are responsible too. On top of providing emotional sustenance, I know from my own experience that the long hours, late nights, missed weddings, cancelled weekend trips will have had an impact on them as well. And yet, true to form, it’s this lot getting the glory again… But on their behalf I thank you.

Now today of course is all about exceptional individual achievement, and we should not apologise for that. And let us not forget, in celebrating it, that you are part of something much bigger. Your success is no less than our country’s success. What you’ve achieved, and will continue to achieve, contributes to this jurisdiction, to the kind of country we are, and the kind of country we aspire to be – our standards and our values.

And what you do matters for at least 3 reasons.

First, straightforwardly, your offices and chambers throughout our country are engine rooms of our prosperity. Our legal sector contributed around £34 billion to the British economy in 2022 alone, a figure that continues to grow year on year. More broadly, it underpins so much of our nation’s success, giving businesses the confidence to operate in the knowledge that there are routes to redress should something go wrong.

Second, as a driver of social mobility. Those of you who’ve contributed to the work of the Kalisher Trust for example, or who have taken on mini-pupils from all walks of life, know this sector can and does produce genuinely life-changing opportunities. For young people from modest backgrounds, where they have the talent, dedication and drive to get on, the law can turn lives around – not just for individuals but for future generations too.

And third, because it is this sector – and your quality – that does so much to strengthen our position on the world stage, and allows us exert influence when it matters. In this job I’ve travelled from Japan to the United States; and I can tell you that your abilities mean that our voice in calling for support for the international rules-based order is louder.

And on that subject, we should never overlook the part we played in for example the Hague Conventions which laid the groundwork for a new international system rooted in law and ushered in an era of international co-operation and multilateralism. Nor should we forget our founding role in the organisations that followed, including the United Nations.

Indeed, there is often a quiet diffidence about the contribution of our legal system, which is in some ways commendable; but don’t let’s forget it. As Lord Bingham said, “the British have a history in this field of which they have every reason to be immensely proud”. I agree.

So, every time one of you stays up until 2am putting the finishing touches on an opinion, every time one of you crafts that killer cross-examination, and every time one of you develops that ingenious and compelling argument which makes the court think again, you strengthen your case, you strengthen the legal system, and you strengthen our country.

Now, I’m pleased that this year, on my recommendation and with the support of the selection panel, His Majesty has granted letters patent conferring the title of King’s Counsel on 95 barristers and solicitor-advocates. There are also 5 awards this year for King’s Counsel, Honoris Causa, and I want to take a few moments now to talk about each of them.

First, Professor Anthony Arnull, a specialist in the law of the European Union, nominated for his research of EU law, in particular the role and jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice.

Next, Michael Meyer, Head of International Law at the British Red Cross. Michael was nominated for his advice and support to government on international humanitarian law.

Next, Sir Robert Neill, who I’m proud to call a colleague and friend. Bob is an MP and the formidable and forensic Chair of the Commons Justice Select Committee. He was nominated for his role in leading that Committee, which rightly holds Government to account, as I know to my cost.

Next, Professor Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, nominated for her work in advising the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, which has shaped policy and legal work on the protection of social and economic rights and the rule of law.

The final Honorary KC is Professor Norman Doe, nominated for reviving the study of Ecclesiastical Law in England and Wales and for his highly influential publications on the subject.

This is, of course, only the briefest reference to their contributions to the law, which go a great deal further.

But let me close by congratulating all appointees again. You are now the leaders, in more ways than one. Yours is the task to strengthen and uphold the standards and values of this great profession.

Take pride in your achievement – because your profession, and your country, take pride in you. My very best wishes for your continued success. Good luck.

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King Charles: I will serve Commonwealth to the best of my ability after cancer diagnosis

T he King will pledge to continue to serve the Commonwealth “to the best of my ability” following his diagnosis with cancer , saying his faith in its potential “remains as sure and strong as it has ever been”.

In his first major speech since he began receiving medical treatment, the King will say he has been “most deeply touched” by the “wonderfully kind and thoughtful good wishes” sent by the public.

The video message will be broadcast on Commonwealth Day, as the Queen leads the Royal family for the annual service at Westminster Abbey.

The King, who recorded the message at Windsor Castle last month, will speak on the topic of “resilience”, to say that the Commonwealth must “find ways of healing” and “pursue solutions” to the “inequalities and injustices which still resonate to this day”.

Speaking on the 75th anniversary of the organisation on Monday, the King will say: “Having recently celebrated my seventy-fifth birthday, it warms my heart to reflect on the way the Commonwealth has been a constant throughout my own life – a precious source of strength, inspiration, and pride.

“In recent weeks, I have been most deeply touched by your wonderfully kind and thoughtful good wishes for my health and, in return, can only continue to serve you, to the best of my ability, throughout the Commonwealth.

“My belief in our shared endeavours and the potential of our people remains as sure and strong as it has ever been.

“I have no doubt that we will continue to support one another across the Commonwealth as, together, we continue this vital journey.”

The King is currently continuing his state duties from home, having received medical advice to temporarily step back from public engagements while he receives treatment for cancer.

His family, including the Prince of Wales, will attend the Westminster Abbey service in person. The Princess of Wales remains at home recovering from abdominal surgery .

The Duke of York will miss the occasion, as he is no longer a working member of the family. The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh , Princess Royal, Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and Duke of Kent are due to attend.

The King will hail the diversity of the Commonwealth, saying it is “our greatest strength” in the face of serious challenges including “climate change, the loss of nature, or the social and economic changes that new technologies are bringing”.

“All of this means that we must work together to understand each other’s perspectives, including the inequalities and injustices which still resonate to this day,” he will say.

“We must find ways of healing, and to support each other to pursue solutions.

“I cannot say often enough that it is by coming together that we create the best chances to improve our world and the lives of people everywhere.”

Recent years have seen the Commonwealth beset by criticism over colonial-era injustices, and claims for reparations, including for slavery.

“The Commonwealth family is strongest when we are connected, through friendship,” the King will say.

“As I have said before, the Commonwealth is like the wiring of a house, and its people, our energy and our ideas are the current that runs through those wires.

“Together and individually, we are strengthened by sharing perspectives and experiences, and by offering and borrowing the myriad ways we have each tackled the challenges of our time.”

The theme for the 2024 service is One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Commonwealth.

The television message was filmed in the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle in February after the King became aware that he would not be able to attend the event in person.

The Commonwealth Day service has become a fixture of the Royal family calendar in recent years and was dear to the late Queen Elizabeth II’s heart .

Last year, the King delivered his first annual address as Head of the Commonwealth from the pulpit. The late Queen preferred to issue her message in writing.

The film will see him address his audience from a desk, alongside an oak sapling grown from an acorn collected on the Home Park Windsor Estate during his Coronation year.

On the desk is a silver inkstand and a clock, which was a wedding gift to the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.

The Westminster Abbey service will see the Prince of Wales’s Earthshot Prize play a central role, with its environmental focus and message of “urgent optimism” considered in line with key Commonwealth goals.

A reflection will be delivered by Lise Honsinger, chief revenue officer of sustainable packaging firm Notpla, which won the Earthshot Prize in 2022.

A spokesman for the Royal Commonwealth Society, which organises the programme for the service, said it worked closely with the Earthshot Prize.

“The palace was very supportive,” he said. “Plastic is a key focus of ours.”

The congregation of 2,000 at the Abbey will include Patricia Scotland, the Commonwealth secretary-general, the president of Malta, foreign ministers, high commissioners, senior politicians and dignitaries from across the Commonwealth, faith leaders, and school children and young people from throughout the UK.

Writer Sir Ben Okri will read a poem commissioned for the 75th anniversary of the Commonwealth and there will be musical performances from singer Calum Scott and dance troupe The Ghetto Kids.

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Message from His Majesty The King for the Commonwealth Day Service of Celebration

The seventy-fifth anniversary of The Commonwealth is a moment to reflect on the remarkable journey that our unique family of free and independent nations has made since 1949. 

Last year, The Bahamas celebrated its fiftieth anniversary of Independence, as Grenada has this year, and Papua New Guinea will next year. Each of these milestones – and many others like them – represent the fulfilment of countless aspirations and the achievement of such remarkable potential. And the Commonwealth’s growth, with new members continuing to join our family of nations, demonstrates clearly that whilst we may not all have a shared history, we have common ambitions for a better future – working together to build resilience and respond to global challenges. 

The Commonwealth family is strongest when we are connected, through friendship. As I have said before, the Commonwealth is like the wiring of a house, and its people, our energy and our ideas are the current that runs through those wires. Together and individually, we are strengthened by sharing perspectives and experiences, and by offering and borrowing the myriad ways we have each tackled the challenges of our time. This is true both at the level of nations and, indeed, at the local level. 

We recognize today that our diversity is our greatest strength. The Commonwealth represents a third of humanity, from all regions of the world, with all the different experiences, knowledge, and aspirations that this brings. Wherever we live, we are united by the many challenges we face – whether it be climate change, the loss of Nature, or the social and economic changes that new technologies are bringing. Our diversity means that these challenges affect us all differently and that we experience their impacts in different ways. Their seriousness, however, is common to each one of us. 

All of this means that we must work together to understand each other’s perspectives, including the inequalities and injustices which still resonate to this day. We must find ways of healing, and to support each other to pursue solutions. I cannot say often enough that it is by coming together that we create the best chances to improve our world and the lives of people everywhere. Indeed, over the years countless people across the Commonwealth have been inspired to form their own Commonwealth Associations, from lawyers and accountants, to business and trade networks, and many more besides. The work they do is absolutely vital, sharing professional knowledge, experience, and expertise across the Continents for the betterment of each one of us. 

The Commonwealth, above all, retains a particular focus on our young people, who make up two-thirds of the entire Commonwealth population. Whether in Kenya or Malaysia, Vanuatu or Dominica, Malta, or Canada, I never cease to be impressed by their creativity, innovative skills, and hard work, often in the most challenging circumstances. Their energy is transforming approaches to development, technology and preserving and restoring Nature and will, I hope, help to shape, and safeguard our common future. 

Having recently celebrated my own seventy-fifth birthday, it warms my heart to reflect on the way the Commonwealth has been a constant throughout my own life – a precious source of strength, inspiration, and pride. In recent weeks, I have been most deeply touched by your wonderfully kind and thoughtful good wishes for my health and, in return, can only continue to serve you, to the best of my ability, throughout the Commonwealth. My belief in our shared endeavours and in the potential of our people remains as sure and strong as it has ever been. I have no doubt that we will continue to support one another across the Commonwealth as, together, we continue this vital journey. 

Related content

Service, culture and continued collaboration celebrated during Commonwealth Day

Service, culture and continued collaboration celebrated during commonwealth day 2024.

Secretary-General remembers Commonwealth soldiers who served in two World Wars

Labour Party threatens to make football regulator ‘election issue’ amid UK government delay

The Labour Party has challenged the UK government to hurry up and introduce an independent regulator for football or the opposition will make it “an election issue” in constituencies with crisis-hit clubs.

Speaking during a parliamentary business debate on Thursday, Shadow Leader of the House of Commons Lucy Powell asked her opposite number Penny Mordaunt why the government had not yet introduced the Football Governance Bill that was promised in November’s King’s Speech, the formal statement of the government’s intended programme of legislation.

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“The much-needed and heralded legislation to regulate English football is still nowhere to be seen,” said Powell.

“Just this week, the Premier League shelved a new financial settlement for the football pyramid and the English Football League (EFL) is responding today. Doesn’t (Mordaunt) agree that new powers to impose a fairer deal for smaller clubs can’t come soon enough?

“Fans in Bury, Macclesfield, Derby, Reading, Scunthorpe and, may I add, Portsmouth want their precious clubs saved.

“If the Conservatives want to make this an election issue in these places then I say ‘bring it on’. Because let’s be really clear, if they don’t want to regulate football governance, then we will.”

The six clubs Powell mentioned have all experienced grave financial problems in recent years, as Mordaunt, a member of parliament for Portsmouth and a fan of the football team, knows well.

The timing of Powell’s question also requires no further explanation, as the Premier League confirmed on Monday that it had failed to agree on an improved support package for the EFL and was postponing talks on the so-called “new deal for football” indefinitely.

This came as a bitter blow to both the EFL — whose 72 clubs have been waiting for a formal offer from the Premier League for months — and the government, as it had been hoping the threat of regulation would be enough to persuade England’s top flight to share more of its enormous media-rights income with the rest of the game.

But the Premier League’s 20 clubs are so divided on the issue — and other related topics — that the league’s board has never even put the “new deal” to a vote.

Powell’s call for action was echoed by John Cryer, the Labour MP for London constituency Leyton and Wanstead, who said: “Many of us, on both sides of the house, have clubs in our constituencies that have been on the verge of going under and that situation is only going to get worse.

“Could we bring the putative bill to the floor of the house as soon as possible?”

Premier League: Change is coming to English football - but on what scale?

Mordaunt responded by reminding Powell that the government “initiated” the “programme of work” that should result in the creation of an independent regulator for football, as it was the key recommendation from the “fan-led review” into the game’s governance that was conducted by former sports minister Tracey Crouch in 2021.

The background to the decision to look at football’s governance was widespread concern about the number of insolvencies in English football and fears that more could follow during the pandemic, although the immediate impetus for Crouch’s work was the attempt by the six biggest Premier League clubs to join a breakaway European Super League.

Mordaunt told Powell that the government “will shortly bring through the bill” and then reassured Cryer that “it’s very important that we bring this bill forward — the football pyramid at every level needs to be supported”.

She did not, however, give any clues away as to when the bill will appear, with many wondering if this government still has time to introduce any new legislation. The Easter recess is now less that two weeks away, with MPs not returning to Westminster until mid-April.

An article in PoliticsHome , an outlet that specialises in the minutiae of Westminster life, on Thursday said it understands that the government will make parliamentary time for the bill to be read and debated before the summer recess in late July.

It quoted an unnamed Conservative MP with a role government who said: “It doesn’t matter whether (the Premier League) they agree or not, whether the Premier League like it or not: the bill is coming.”

Sunak says independent regulator can force Premier League to 'fairly' redistribute revenue

(Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

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Based in North West England, Matt Slater is a senior football news reporter for The Athletic UK. Before that, he spent 16 years with the BBC and then three years as chief sports reporter for the UK/Ireland's main news agency, PA. Follow Matt on Twitter @ mjshrimper

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King Charles Vows to Serve 'to the Best of My Ability' in New Video Address amid Cancer Treatment

The King recorded a message for the annual church service thanking people for their good wishes during his cancer

Royal Household

King Charles is thanking people across the world for their good wishes amid his cancer treatment.

The King, 75, recorded a special message as representatives from 56 nations gather in London on the eve of Commonwealth Day.

"I have been most deeply touched by your wonderfully kind and thoughtful good wishes for my health and, in return, can only continue to serve you, to the best of my ability, throughout the Commonwealth,” King Charles says.

The address will be played at the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey on Monday. It is the 75 th anniversary of the Commonwealth – the family of nations, most of which were linked to the U.K. through the British empire. As well as the U.K., Charles is King of 14 of the nations, including Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

The monarch, who is undergoing  cancer treatment and has canceled most public duties, will be represented at the service on Monday by his wife,  Queen Camilla , while Prince William and other members of the royal family will also be there.

Unlike last year,  Kate Middleton  won’t be part of the contingent. The Princess of Wales, 42, continues her private recovery following  abdominal surgery  in January, and Kensington Palace said she was “unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter.”

Jordan Pettitt/PA Images via Getty Images

The event will celebrate the global network of 56 countries with the 2024 theme “One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Commonwealth," and 2,000 guests are expected to attend. 

In his address, which will be played at the service on Monday, King Charles makes the link with his own lifetime, as he is as old as the institution.

"It warms my heart to reflect on the way the Commonwealth has been a constant throughout my own life – a precious source of strength, inspiration and pride," he says.

Urging people to “work together to understand each other’s perspectives, including the inequalities and injustices which still resonate to this day,” he adds that “our diversity is our greatest strength.”

King Charles says in his address, “The Commonwealth represents a third of humanity, from all regions of the world, with all the different experiences, knowledge, and aspirations that this brings. Wherever we live, we are united by the many challenges we face — whether it be climate change, the loss of nature or the social and economic changes that new technologies are bringing.”

JORDAN PETTITT/POOL/AFP via Getty

“Our diversity means that these challenges affect us all differently and that we experience their impacts in different ways," he says. "Their seriousness, however, is common to each one of us.”

The monarch reflects on the different journeys the more than 50 nations have taken since the beginning of the Commonwealth in 1949. "Last year, The Bahamas celebrated its 50th anniversary of Independence, as Grenada has this year, and Papua New Guinea will next year. Each of these milestones — and many others like them — represent the fulfillment of countless aspirations and the achievement of such remarkable potential.”

“And the Commonwealth’s growth, with new members continuing to join our family of nations, demonstrates clearly that whilst we may not all have a shared history, we have common ambitions for a better future – working together to build resilience and respond to global challenges," he says.

The King adds, "The Commonwealth family is strongest when we are connected, through friendship. As I have said before, the Commonwealth is like the wiring of a house, and its people, our energy and our ideas are the current that runs through those wires. Together and individually, we are strengthened by sharing perspectives and experiences, and by offering and borrowing the myriad ways we have each tackled the challenges of our time. This is true both at the level of nations and, indeed, at the local level."

Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty

King Charles’ virtual participation in the Commonwealth Day Service this week aligns with the latest guidance around his health. On Feb. 5, Buckingham Palace announced that the King was  diagnosed with cancer  and was advised by his doctors to postpone public-facing duties while receiving treatment. The palace said the diagnosis came after a “separate issue of concern” was noted during the monarch’s treatment for  benign prostate enlargement  in January, though a spokesman confirmed it is not prostate cancer.

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Last week, King Charles held audiences at Buckingham Palace, including one with the U.K. finance chief, Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt, and another via video link with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada.

Politics latest: Mordaunt downplays talk of plot to replace Sunak as PM

A former minister has warned Tory plotters against ousting Rishi Sunak in an election year, as his mooted replacement - Penny Mordaunt - gives short shrift to suggestions she could become prime minister.

Tuesday 19 March 2024 12:57, UK

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• 'Act of folly': Plotters warned not to topple Sunak
• Mooted PM replacement responds to leadership rumours
• Gurpreet Narwan: Talk of plot a sign of real Tory despondency
• Labour vow to 'bring a new chapter in British economic history'
• Sky News Daily:  Why isn't housing a bigger election issue?
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There has been talk in recent days that Penny Mordaunt could be a possible replacement for Rishi Sunak if unhappy Tory MPs kick him out before the election.

But the Commons leader has insisted her focus is on the job in hand.

Reporters shouted questions to Ms Mordaunt as she left this morning's cabinet meeting.

As you would expect, they were about the suggestions she could step in if Mr Sunak is ousted.

"I'm getting on with my job and I recommend it," she replied.

Former Tory leadership candidate Penny Mordaunt may have poured cold water over talk of her gunning for the PM's job ( see 11.02 post) , but speculation about Rishi Sunak's future is unlikely to go away.

Our political correspondent  Gurpreet Narwan   says rumours that Tory MPs are plotting to overthrow Mr Sunak before the election are a sign of "real despondency within the party".

"We're hearing from MPs all the time that they fear the public's stopped listening to them altogether," she says.

"They're not getting a positive response on the doorstep and with the party languishing 20 points behind in the polls, there's real frustration among MPs who fear they're going to lose their jobs.

"While there's clearly no firm plot yet, all this is a sign of the real despondency within the party.

"Especially as it looks as though it's going to have to limp on to autumn, with the prime minister shooting down suggestions of an election in May."

After a bad few weeks - from the spring budget failing to provide any bounce in the polls, to the defection of Lee Anderson to Reform - it's an "uphill battle" for the prime minister to lift the mood.

Andrew Mitchell, the Foreign Office minister, is now responding to an Urgent Question in the Commons on the situation in Israel and Gaza.

He said he is "deeply concerned" about the situation in Gaza, as Labour's shadow foreign secretary warned of "catastrophic levels of hunger".

David Lammy said that famine in the region is "imminent".

He added: "Half the population is expected to face catastrophic levels of hunger, the highest number of people ever recorded under this system.

"Only twice in 20 years have famine conditions been reached, but what distinguishes the horror in Gaza from what has come before is this is not driven by drought or disaster - it is man made.

"It is the consequences of war, it is the consequence of aid that is available not reaching those who need it.

"Food is piled up in trucks just a few kilometres away while children in Gaza are starving. It's unbearable - and it must not go on."

Mr Lammy says the restrictions on aid flows in the region are "completely unacceptable".

He asks if the government will join Labour's call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.

In response, Mr Mitchell says the UK is doing "everything we can" to try to head off the threat of famine in Gaza.

He also confirms 192 aid trucks did reach the region on Sunday.

"But that is woefully short of what is required," the minister adds. "Before the crisis, more than 500 trucks a day were getting in."

A proposed takeover of The Telegraph newspaper by a UAE-led consortium will be referred to the competition watchdog.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said she was "minded" to send the deal to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) following advice from regulator Ofcom, which will kick off a long review.

The consortium looking to buy the newspaper is RedBird IMI - a joint venture an Abi Dhabi investment group and a US fund manager.

The CMA review could effectively kill the proposed takeover because while it's taking place, a law is due to come into force that would ban foreign governments owning British newspapers.

Ms Frazer said Ofcom had found Abi Dhabi's IMI may wish to influence "the accurate presentation of news and free expression of opinion in the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph newspapers".

She expects the new law banning governments from owning papers to come into force within the next month or two.

"If the Telegraph case is still live, it will affect it," she told LBC radio.

Our business correspondent Paul Kelso explained there are specific concerns around the role of Sheikh Mansour, a member of the Abi Dhabi royal family and vice president of the UAE.

He's funding 75% of the proposed £600m takeover deal.

"With a poor record of freedom of media expression in Abu Dhabi, there would be a reduction potentially in freedom of expression in the Telegraph," says Paul.

Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, asks Jeremy Hunt whether the Conservatives have costed a reported plan to abolish national insurance tax.

She says: "After the budget, the chancellor wrote to Conservative Party members, telling them that the government planned to abolish national insurance.

"The economic secretary said that national insurance will vanish, and the prime minister said it was his ambition to abolish it.

"So can the chancellor confirm whether he asked the Office for Budget Responsibility to cost the government's unfunded plan to abolish national insurance contributions?"

In response, Mr Hunt largely dodges the question.

He says he is "glad" Ms Reeves asked about national insurance cuts.

"First, she supported them, then she abstained in the lobbies, now she appears to be against them," he adds. "Like the bankers bonus tax which she was strongly in favour of and then strongly against.

"Isn't the actual truth here that where Labour should have an economic policy, there is just a black hole filled with platitudes?"

Mr Reeves pushes again on her question.

Mr Hunt says: "We specifically said we wouldn't fund national insurance cuts from increasing borrowing or cutting spending on public services."

In the Commons, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt was asked if he believes his spring budget landed well with the public - and his party colleagues.

He said: "Well, what I would say to the honourable gentleman very simply is that budget will mean the UK economy will grow faster than France, Germany, Italy or Japan in the next five years.

"That is doing the right thing for the country."

Mr Hunt also claimed that the government's latest 2p cut in national insurance "will increase living standards by 1%" in the UK.

The prime minister's spokesman has called on the House of Lords to help pass the government's Rwanda plan, so Rishi Sunak can hit his target of having deportation flights off the ground by Easter.

Peers have been seeking to water down the controversial legislation, but their proposed amendments were rejected the government in the Commons last night.

The bill now goes back to the Lords on Wednesday as part of a game of ping pong between the two houses of parliament.

"The prime minister would like to see it pass this hurdle," No 10 said.

"The Lords have an opportunity to work with the government to pass a bill to stop people taking perilous journeys across the Channel. 

"The PM is keen to act quickly. We need to act and save lives. 

"Sitting back and doing nothing is not a compassionate option."

No 10 reiterated the PM's goal of passing the bill in the spring, saying the timeline "remains unchanged".

Darren Jones, the shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, asks the department's ministers to explain why British people feel "worse off" after 14 years of Conservative government.

"Why can't the Treasury minister admit that for every 10p in the pound taken from people since 2010, you're only now giving back 5p?"

In response, Nigel Huddleston, the financial secretary to the Treasury, says: "If I'm hearing correctly, the opposition frontbench are announcing fundamental changes to policy which they have not yet costed.

"They did not object as far as I'm aware to any of the measures that were required to support households and businesses during the pandemic, which necessitated increases in taxation.

"We are now lowering the level of taxation because we have turned a corner."

He says: "They didn't support that."

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is up in the House of Commons, answering questions from MPs in the wake of his spring budget.

James Murray, the Labour MP for Ealing North, puts it to Mr Hunt that recent figures from the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) put the UK as the only G7 advanced economy now in recession.

He notes that, according to the IMF (International Monetary Fund), the UK is expected to have the "second-slowest growth in the G7 this year".

Mr Murray asks why the UK is so far behind other major economies.

"Well, it isn't," Mr Hunt says. "Because it's actually growing faster than France, Germany, and a whole bunch of other countries."

"But I'm very glad [Mr Murray] mentioned 14 years," he adds. "Let's look at what happened under 14 years of Labour in Wales.

"Unemployment higher, NHS waiting lists longer, school standards worse and growth lower."

And what's their response to this, Mr Hunt asks.

"They just promoted the economy minister to first minister."

Mr Hunt was referring to Vaughan Gething, who is replacing Mark Drakeford as first minister.

Labour MP for Rhondda Chris Bryant could then be heard shouting "you're not going to be prime minister" from the backbenches.

Rishi Sunak cannot be held "personally responsible" for the Tories' dire poll ratings, and the party must now stick with him as leader until the election, ex-minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg said.

The prime minister has faced speculation about a possible Tory revolt against his leadership, with plotters lining up Penny Mordaunt as a potential replacement.

But Sir Jacob said it was "inconceivable" for Commons leader Ms Mordaunt to take the job, and the Tories "need to just get on with it" with Mr Sunak in post.

Labour has an average poll lead of around 20 points, fuelling Tory unease in a general election year.

But Sir Jacob said: "In defence of Rishi Sunak, it is quite hard for a leader at this stage... to be significantly more popular than his party.

"The Conservative Party's popularity fell before Rishi Sunak's did, so I don't think we can hold him personally responsible."

A new Sky News series,  Faultlines , covers in-depth and immersive reports exploring contemporary social challenges across the UK.

This episode asks "is our housing market in crisis?", with not enough homes and expensive rentals forcing an increasing number of people into homelessness.

In 2021/22, just 7,528 new social homes were delivered - nowhere near enough for the 1.1 million people on the waiting list and the government’s target of building 300,000 new homes a year. 

Seaside town Hastings is on the front line of all that is wrong with the housing system, with evictions, social housing shortages and Airbnb among the issues behind the problem.

On this episode of the Sky News Daily, Tom Cheshire talks to our people and politics correspondent Nick Martin in Hastings, to uncover the scale of the issues, and hear from those at the heart of it.

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free

Burger King faces $15M lawsuit for alleged failure to prevent ‘open air drug bazaar’

A New York City resident recently filed a $15 million lawsuit against a neighborhood Burger King for its failure to prevent drug dealers from overrunning the establishment, the New York Post reported Sunday.

Kevin Kaufman, a filmmaker, sued the fast-food location for its alleged part in turning “Fulton Street into an open air drug bazaar.” Drug dealers and homeless people have taken over the block, according to Kaufman, who has lived in the area for two decades.

The lawsuit, filed earlier this month, alleges that the Burger King’s owner has not done enough to prevent the illegal activities. “Professional drug dealers” use the establishment as a “base of operation, selling illegal drugs either at the entrance ... or during inclement weather, selling illegal drugs within the Burger King restaurant itself,” the complaint alleged.

Kaufman, 69, stated, “We’ve reached out to every direction we can and the only ones that seem to be responsive and listening are the cops.”

“Cops are doing everything they can to get rid of these people, but they’re handcuffed. It’s this idiotic bail reform. They have arrested a couple of people, but they are back within 24 hours,” he added.

Another resident, who requested anonymity, told the Post, “This is around the corner from the mayor, his office is right there, and it’s like ‘Dude, clean up your neighborhood.'”

He noted that the Burger King location “is never busy, the only people in there are poor, homeless or dealing drugs.”

A second anonymous resident questioned how the establishment has remained in business and why the owner is not doing more to prevent criminal activity.

Evan Gillman, a neighbor, told the Post, “There’s no restaurant patrons, no one goes in there to eat.”

Gillman stated that the drug dealers are at the Burger King “all day.”

Kaufman accused the restaurant’s owner, Lalmir Sultanzada, of failing to “take responsibility” for the criminal activity.

“He throws it on the lap of the cops instead of hiring security himself and policing his own store,” he told the Post.

The drug dealers “have long criminal records and are well known among local law enforcement,” Kaufman added.

Sultanzada explained that hiring private security would be too expensive.

“That’s not my problem ... it’s up to the police. I’m not selling drugs,” he said. “If I’m going to close the store. who’s going to be responsible for my loss?”

“They’re hanging around, they throw everything inside the stores. A couple of times they hit one of my managers,” Sultanzada remarked.

“We’ve got the same problem all over: 125th Street, same problem; 116th Street, same problem; go to the Bronx, same problem,” he continued. “It’s not me. Go talk with the government, talk with the police department, talk with the mayor, talk with the governor. ... They have to find a solution for those bums, not me.”

According to the New York Police Department, officers have responded to 143 calls and made two arrests related to the fast-food location since January 2023.

A spokesperson for the department said, “Quality of life complaints remain a real concern to residents in all city neighborhoods.”

“The NYPD deploys our officers where crime is reported in response to community complaints and will continue to address these conditions as the public demands and expects we should,” the spokesperson remarked.

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