King Charles III will deliver Labour’s first programme for government in 15 years on Wednesday, marking the reopening of the UK parliament after the July 4 election.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer will emphasize boosting economic growth in his legislative plans as Labour governs the UK for the first time in 14 years.
“The legislation set out at the King’s Speech will build on our initial momentum and make a difference to the lives of working people,” said Starmer, who led Labour to a landslide victory over the Conservatives.
Despite its name, the address is written by the government, detailing the laws it plans to enact over the next year.
Dressed in the diamond-studded Imperial State Crown and a crimson robe, King Charles will deliver the proposals from a golden throne in the House of Lords during a ceremonial event.
The speech will include over 35 bills, focusing on public spending rules and preventing future utility bill price hikes. It will also detail plans for a fund to attract investment to the UK and a publicly owned body to boost clean energy by 2030.
Labour is expected to announce the return of mandatory housebuilding targets, plans to renationalize rail services, and the creation of a new border security command.
A bill to enhance workers’ rights, including banning zero-hour contracts, and stronger protections for renters are also anticipated in Labour’s first such address since 2010.
“This is a hungry party,” former Labour minister Tony McNulty told AFP. “They are eager to show they can be the natural party of government.”
The day will start at 9:30 am (0830 GMT) with royal bodyguards searching the Palace of Westminster’s basement for explosives, a tradition dating back to a failed plot in 1605.
The sovereign will then travel to Parliament by carriage from Buckingham Palace, escorted by cavalry. Tradition dictates that an MP is ceremonially held “hostage” at the palace to ensure the king’s safe return.
A parliamentary official, Black Rod, will have the door of the House of Commons slammed in their face, symbolizing parliament’s independence from the monarchy. MPs will follow Black Rod to the House of Lords, where King Charles will deliver the speech to assembled lords and ladies in red and ermine robes, and invited members of the Commons shortly after 11:30 am.
In keeping with the convention that the monarch remains above politics, King Charles will remain expressionless during the address. “There’s probably much in this King’s Speech that he will favour rather than the other one he had to read out,” said McNulty, a British politics lecturer at Queen Mary University of London. “But he’ll play it with a straight face. That’s the job.”
