The King's Speech covers plans from new Labour government in the UK

British King Charles III opened the new parliamentary year with the "King's speech", the speech from the throne with the plans of the new Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Stability will be the "cornerstone" of economic policy, he said.

The king said, among other things, that the policy will be based on "certainty, fairness and opportunities for everyone". He announced plans to put an end to the high cost of living. According to British media, the speech contained no surprises.

Infrastructure and health reforms

The government wants to build houses faster, nationalise the railways, reform the asylum system and strengthen the borders. Steps must also be taken towards more sustainable energy and, in the long term, lower energy bills for consumers.

Another key part of the policy is to improve the NHS, the British healthcare system that has been in trouble for years. Waiting times must be shorter and mental health must become as important as physical health.

There are proposed bills to raise the minimum age for purchasing tobacco products, restrictions on the sale of electronic cigarettes, restrictions on promoting junk food to children and a ban on the sale of energy drinks to children. Starmer's government also wants a ban on conversion therapy, also known as homogenisation.

New outlook from Labour

It is the first speech by a Labour government since 2009, after the Labour Party's resounding victory in Britain's parliamentary elections on 4 July.

The new UK government promises to "subject any major changes to tax and spending to an independent review". Furthermore, according to the policy statement, they want to abolish the hundred or so members of the House of Lords who sit in the upper house through inheritance.

King Charles III also announced the creation of a new security service to combat organised crime in illegal immigration and human smuggling. Nearly 90,000 migrants have been smuggled into Britain via the Channel since 2022.

With the "European partners", the British government wants to "redefine" relations, aiming to "improve trade and investment relations with the European Union". Keir Starmer's government reiterated Britain's "total support" for Ukraine.

Activists from the Youth Demand group were arrested in central London on Wednesday morning, who police said were planning to disrupt the opening of the parliamentary year. The group is calling for action on climate change and an end to the sale of British weapons to Israel.

^{Britain's King Charles III reads the King's Speech from the The Sovereign's Throne in the House of Lords chamber, during the State Opening of Parliament, at the Houses of Parliament, in London, on 17 July, 2024 ​
​© PHOTO KIRSTY WIGGLESWORTH / AFP}