Britain’s King Charles III opened a new session of the country’s parliament on Wednesday, unveiling the legislative agenda of the Conservative government of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Announcing “difficult but necessary” legislation across sectors including oil and gas, criminal justice, AI, housing and healthcare, the speech sought to define the long-term policy direction of the Sunak government, which is struggling to compete in polls with the opposition Labour Party, as the country gears up for elections next year.
‘The King’s Speech ‘ — the first in over 70 years (when there was a ‘Queen’s Speech’) — was read out by the monarch but authored by the prime minister and is part of an ancient ceremony in Westminster, that included an MP being held “hostage” in Buckingham Palace while the king was in parliament.
“Covid and the war in Ukraine had created long-term challenges for the country,” King Charles said, adding,
“That is why my Government’s priority is to make the difficult but necessary long-term decisions to change this country for the better.”
In a background note to the speech, Mr. Sunak highlighted the ‘long term’ theme of the speech, arguing that the U.K. had “turned the corner” since last year’s economic crisis, and it was now time to change the country for the long term.
Dressed in ceremonial regalia on a throne beside his wife, Queen Camilla, King Charles, a staunch environmentalist, was compelled by the constraints of his constitutional office to declare before a chamber of peers, MPs and visitors that “his government” would make it easier to drill for oil and gas in the North Sea.
Mr Sunak has insisted that the changes will still allow the U.K. to stick to its commitment of achieving ‘net zero ‘ carbon emissions by 2050. The proposed Offshore Petroleum Licensing bill will require the North Sea Transition Authority to offer new drilling licenses, pitting the Tories against Labour, which has promised to end new licensing for fossil fuels if it comes to power.
Other proposed laws introduce tougher sentencing, and a potentially controversial Investigatory Powers (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to regulate tech companies’ ability to deploy security features guarding the privacy of information. A media bill will repeal legislation that sought to make media companies responsible for legal costs of parties suing them, even in situations where the companies win the case.
The Sunak government will also introduce a bill to prevent public bodies from boycotting other countries or publishing statements indicating a boycott or divestment from those countries. The bill will have implications for the procurement options available to local councils in response to international situations such as the conflict in West Asia or the plight of Uyghurs in Xinjiang, China.
In his speech the King also indicated that the government would bring legislation forward to complete the U.K.’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, which the U.K. signed on to in July this year.
“My Ministers will continue to negotiate trade agreements with dynamic economies, delivering jobs and growth in the United Kingdom,” the king said. The U.K. is negotiating trade deals with at least seven countries, including India and the U.S.
Following the King’s speech, the Sunak government’s next opportunity to announce its plans for the economy will be with the unveiling of November 22 Autumn Statement.
