UK's Labour Government Unveils Economic Plans in King's Speech

UK's new Labour government sets out plans to 'take the brakes off' the economy in King's Speech

LONDON -- Britain's new Labour Party government campaigned on a promise to bring bold change at modest cost. Prime Minister Keir Starmer gets a chance to show how he aims to reconcile those two aims on Wednesday when the government announces its plans for the coming year. Starmer said the measures announced in the King's Speech to Parliament would "take the brakes off Britain" and "create wealth for people up and down the country" by spurring economic growth. The King's Speech is the centerpiece of the State Opening of Parliament, an occasion where royal pomp meets hard-nosed politics, as King Charles III dons a diamond-studded crown, sits on a gilded throne and announces the government's legislative agenda. Starmer said the speech would be a "down payment on our plans for the next five years," which center on getting the U.K.'s stuttering economy growing strongly. Labour won a landslide election victory on July 4 as voters turned on the Conservatives after years of high inflation, ethics scandals and a revolving door of prime ministers. Starmer has promised to patch up the country's aging infrastructure and frayed public services, but says he won't raise personal taxes and insists change must be bound by "unbreakable fiscal rules." The government said Wednesday's speech will include more than 35 bills - the Conservatives' last speech had just 21 - ranging from housebuilding to nationalizing Britain's railways and decarbonizing the nation's power supply with a publicly owned green energy firm. "It looks like it's going to be very ambitious and very wide-ranging," said Jill Rutter, senior research fellow at the Institute for Government think tank. There will be moves to give more powers to local government, and a law to ensure all government budgets get advance independent scrutiny. Rutter called that the "anti- Liz Truss bill," referring to the Conservative prime minister whose package of unfunded tax cuts in 2022 rocked the British economy and ended her brief term in office. Also expected are new measures to strengthen border security, following on from Starmer's decision to scrap the Conservatives' plan to send people arriving in the U.K. across the English Channel on a one-way trip to Rwanda. The contentious scheme faced multiple legal challenges and cost the U.K. several hundred million pounds (dollars), without a single flight taking off. There is also expected to be a law regulating the development of artificial intelligence, a possible break from the previous government's light-touch approach to governing AI. The government may also announce significant changes to the U.K.'s political system, including lowering the voting age from 18 to 16, one of Labour's election promises. It might even tackle an issue that has foxed previous governments: reforming the House of Lords. The unelected upper chamber of Parliament is packed with almost 800 members - largely lifetime political appointees, with a smattering of judges, bishops and hereditary aristocrats. Starmer has said he would like to remove the hereditary nobles and set a Lords retirement age of 80. While much of Starmer's agenda marks a break with the defeated Conservative government of former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Starmer may revive Sunak's plan to stop future generations from smoking by gradually raising the minimum age for buying tobacco. Wednesday's address is the second such speech delivered by Charles since the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September 2022. For all its royal trappings - including lords in ermine-trimmed robes and an official known as Black Rod -- it is the King's Speech in name only.

UK's new Labour government sets out plans to 'take the brakes off' the economy in King's Speech

LONDON -- Britain's new Labour Party government campaigned on a promise to bring bold change at modest cost. Prime Minister Keir Starmer gets a chance to show how he aims to reconcile those two aims on Wednesday when the government announces its plans for the coming year. Starmer said the measures announced in the King's Speech to Parliament would "take the brakes off Britain" and "create wealth for people up and down the country" by spurring economic growth. The King's Speech is the centerpiece of the State Opening of Parliament, an occasion where royal pomp meets hard-nosed politics, as King Charles III dons a diamond-studded crown, sits on a gilded throne and announces the government's legislative agenda. Starmer said the speech would be a "down payment on our plans for the next five years," which center on getting the U.K.'s stuttering economy growing strongly. Labour won a landslide election victory on July 4 as voters turned on the Conservatives after years of high inflation, ethics scandals and a revolving door of prime ministers. Starmer has promised to patch up the country's aging infrastructure and frayed public services, but says he won't raise personal taxes and insists change must be bound by "unbreakable fiscal rules." The government said Wednesday's speech will include more than 35 bills - the Conservatives' last speech had just 21 - ranging from housebuilding to nationalizing Britain's railways and decarbonizing the nation's power supply with a publicly owned green energy firm. "It looks like it's going to be very ambitious and very wide-ranging," said Jill Rutter, senior research fellow at the Institute for Government think tank. There will be moves to give more powers to local government, and a law to ensure all government budgets get advance independent scrutiny. Rutter called that the "anti- Liz Truss bill," referring to the Conservative prime minister whose package of unfunded tax cuts in 2022 rocked the British economy and ended her brief term in office. Also expected are new measures to strengthen border security, following on from Starmer's decision to scrap the Conservatives' plan to send people arriving in the U.K. across the English Channel on a one-way trip to Rwanda. The contentious scheme faced multiple legal challenges and cost the U.K. several hundred million pounds (dollars), without a single flight taking off. There is also expected to be a law regulating the development of artificial intelligence, a possible break from the previous government's light-touch approach to governing AI. The government may also announce significant changes to the U.K.'s political system, including lowering the voting age from 18 to 16, one of Labour's election promises. It might even tackle an issue that has foxed previous governments: reforming the House of Lords. The unelected upper chamber of Parliament is packed with almost 800 members - largely lifetime political appointees, with a smattering of judges, bishops and hereditary aristocrats. Starmer has said he would like to remove the hereditary nobles and set a Lords retirement age of 80. While much of Starmer's agenda marks a break with the defeated Conservative government of former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Starmer may revive Sunak's plan to stop future generations from smoking by gradually raising the minimum age for buying tobacco. Wednesday's address is the second such speech delivered by Charles since the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September 2022. For all its royal trappings - including lords in ermine-trimmed robes and an official known as Black Rod -- it is the King's Speech in name only.

UK's new Labour government sets out plans to 'take the brakes off' the economy in King's Speech

LONDON (AP) -- Britain's new Labour Party government campaigned on a promise to bring bold change at modest cost. Prime Minister Keir Starmer gets a chance to show how he aims to reconcile those two aims on Wednesday when the government announces its plans for the coming year. Starmer said the measures announced in the King's Speech to Parliament would "take the brakes off Britain" and "create wealth for people up and down the country" by spurring economic growth. The King's Speech is the centerpiece of the State Opening of Parliament, an occasion where royal pomp meets hard-nosed politics, as King Charles III dons a diamond-studded crown, sits on a gilded throne and announces the government's legislative agenda. Starmer said the speech would be a "down payment on our plans for the next five years," which center on getting the U.K.'s stuttering economy growing strongly. Labour won a landslide election victory on July 4 as voters turned on the Conservatives after years of high inflation, ethics scandals and a revolving door of prime ministers. Starmer has promised to patch up the country's aging infrastructure and frayed public services, but says he won't raise personal taxes and insists change must be bound by "unbreakable fiscal rules." The government said Wednesday's speech will include more than 35 bills - the Conservatives' last speech had just 21 - ranging from housebuilding to nationalizing Britain's railways and decarbonizing the nation's power supply with a publicly owned green energy firm. "It looks like it's going to be very ambitious and very wide-ranging," said Jill Rutter, senior research fellow at the Institute for Government think tank. There will be moves to give more powers to local government, and a law to ensure all government budgets get advance independent scrutiny. Rutter called that the "anti- Liz Truss bill," referring to the Conservative prime minister whose package of unfunded tax cuts in 2022 rocked the British economy and ended her brief term in office. Also expected are new measures to strengthen border security, following on from Starmer's decision to scrap the Conservatives' plan to send people arriving in the U.K. across the English Channel on a one-way trip to Rwanda. The contentious scheme faced multiple legal challenges and cost the U.K. several hundred million pounds (dollars), without a single flight taking off. There is also expected to be a law regulating the development of artificial intelligence, a possible break from the previous government's light-touch approach to governing AI. The government may also announce significant changes to the U.K.'s political system, including lowering the voting age from 18 to 16, one of Labour's election promises. It might even tackle an issue that has foxed previous governments: reforming the House of Lords. The unelected upper chamber of Parliament is packed with almost 800 members - largely lifetime political appointees, with a smattering of judges, bishops and hereditary aristocrats. Starmer has said he would like to remove the hereditary nobles and set a Lords retirement age of 80. While much of Starmer's agenda marks a break with the defeated Conservative government of former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Starmer may revive Sunak's plan to stop future generations from smoking by gradually raising the minimum age for buying tobacco. Wednesday's address is the second such speech delivered by Charles since the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September 2022. For all its royal trappings - including lords in ermine-trimmed robes and an official known as Black Rod -- it is the King's Speech in name only.

UK's new Labour government sets out plans to 'take the brakes off' the economy in King's Speech

LONDON (AP) -- Britain's new Labour Party government campaigned on a promise to bring bold change at modest cost. Prime Minister Keir Starmer gets a chance to show how he aims to reconcile those two aims on Wednesday when the government announces its plans for the coming year. Starmer said the measures announced in the King's Speech to Parliament would "take the brakes off Britain" and "create wealth for people up and down the country" by spurring economic growth. The King's Speech is the centerpiece of the State Opening of Parliament, an occasion where royal pomp meets hard-nosed politics, as King Charles III dons a diamond-studded crown, sits on a gilded throne and announces the government's legislative agenda. Starmer said the speech would be a "down payment on our plans for the next five years," which center on getting the U.K.'s stuttering economy growing strongly. Labour won a landslide election victory on July 4 as voters turned on the Conservatives after years of high inflation, ethics scandals and a revolving door of prime ministers. Starmer has promised to patch up the country's aging infrastructure and frayed public services, but says he won't raise personal taxes and insists change must be bound by "unbreakable fiscal rules." The government said Wednesday's speech will include more than 35 bills - the Conservatives' last speech had just 21 - ranging from housebuilding to nationalizing Britain's railways and decarbonizing the nation's power supply with a publicly owned green energy firm. "It looks like it's going to be very ambitious and very wide-ranging," said Jill Rutter, senior research fellow at the Institute for Government think tank. There will be moves to give more powers to local government, and a law to ensure all government budgets get advance independent scrutiny. Rutter called that the "anti- Liz Truss bill," referring to the Conservative prime minister whose package of unfunded tax cuts in 2022 rocked the British economy and ended her brief term in office. Also expected are new measures to strengthen border security, following on from Starmer's decision to scrap the Conservatives' plan to send people arriving in the U.K. across the English Channel on a one-way trip to Rwanda. The contentious scheme faced multiple legal challenges and cost the U.K. several hundred million pounds (dollars), without a single flight taking off. There is also expected to be a law regulating the development of artificial intelligence, a possible break from the previous government's light-touch approach to governing AI. The government may also announce significant changes to the U.K.'s political system, including lowering the voting age from 18 to 16, one of Labour's election promises. It might even tackle an issue that has foxed previous governments: reforming the House of Lords. The unelected upper chamber of Parliament is packed with almost 800 members - largely lifetime political appointees, with a smattering of judges, bishops and hereditary aristocrats. Starmer has said he would like to remove the hereditary nobles and set a Lords retirement age of 80. While much of Starmer's agenda marks a break with the defeated Conservative government of former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Starmer may revive Sunak's plan to stop future generations from smoking by gradually raising the minimum age for buying tobacco. Wednesday's address is the second such speech delivered by Charles since the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September 2022. For all its royal trappings - including lords in ermine-trimmed robes and an official known as Black Rod -- it is the King's Speech in name only.

UK's new Labour government sets out plans to 'take the brakes off' the economy in King's Speech

LONDON (AP) -- Britain's new Labour Party government campaigned on a promise to bring bold change at modest cost. Prime Minister Keir Starmer gets a chance to show how he aims to reconcile those two aims on Wednesday when the government announces its plans for the coming year. Starmer said the measures announced in the King's Speech to Parliament would "take the brakes off Britain" and "create wealth for people up and down the country" by spurring economic growth. The King's Speech is the centerpiece of the State Opening of Parliament, an occasion where royal pomp meets hard-nosed politics, as King Charles III dons a diamond-studded crown, sits on a gilded throne and announces the government's legislative agenda. Starmer said the speech would be a "down payment on our plans for the next five years," which center on getting the U.K.'s stuttering economy growing strongly. Labour won a landslide election victory on July 4 as voters turned on the Conservatives after years of high inflation, ethics scandals and a revolving door of prime ministers. Starmer has promised to patch up the country's aging infrastructure and frayed public services, but says he won't raise personal taxes and insists change must be bound by "unbreakable fiscal rules." The government said Wednesday's speech will include more than 35 bills - the Conservatives' last speech had just 21 - ranging from housebuilding to nationalizing Britain's railways and decarbonizing the nation's power supply with a publicly owned green energy firm. "It looks like it's going to be very ambitious and very wide-ranging," said Jill Rutter, senior research fellow at the Institute for Government think tank. There will be moves to give more powers to local government, and a law to ensure all government budgets get advance independent scrutiny. Rutter called that the "anti- Liz Truss bill," referring to the Conservative prime minister whose package of unfunded tax cuts in 2022 rocked the British economy and ended her brief term in office. Also expected are new measures to strengthen border security, following on from Starmer's decision to scrap the Conservatives' plan to send people arriving in the U.K. across the English Channel on a one-way trip to Rwanda. The contentious scheme faced multiple legal challenges and cost the U.K. several hundred million pounds (dollars), without a single flight taking off. There is also expected to be a law regulating the development of artificial intelligence, a possible break from the previous government's light-touch approach to governing AI. The government may also announce significant changes to the U.K.'s political system, including lowering the voting age from 18 to 16, one of Labour's election promises. It might even tackle an issue that has foxed previous governments: reforming the House of Lords. The unelected upper chamber of Parliament is packed with almost 800 members - largely lifetime political appointees, with a smattering of judges, bishops and hereditary aristocrats. Starmer has said he would like to remove the hereditary nobles and set a Lords retirement age of 80. While much of Starmer's agenda marks a break with the defeated Conservative government of former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Starmer may revive Sunak's plan to stop future generations from smoking by gradually raising the minimum age for buying tobacco. Wednesday's address is the second such speech delivered by Charles since the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September 2022. For all its royal trappings - including lords in ermine-trimmed robes and an official known as Black Rod -- it is the King's Speech in name only.

UK's new Labour government sets out plans to 'take the brakes off' the economy in King's Speech

LONDON: Britain's new Labour Party government campaigned on a promise to bring bold change at modest cost. Prime Minister Keir Starmer gets a chance to show how he aims to reconcile those two aims on Wednesday when the government announces its plans for the coming year. Starmer said the measures announced in the King's Speech to Parliament would "take the brakes off Britain" and "create wealth for people up and down the country" by spurring economic growth. The King's Speech is the centerpiece of the State Opening of Parliament, an occasion where royal pomp meets hard-nosed politics, as King Charles III dons a diamond-studded crown, sits on a gilded throne and announces the government's legislative agenda. Starmer said the speech would be a "down payment on our plans for the next five years," which center on getting the U.K.'s stuttering economy growing strongly. Labour won a landslide election victory on July 4 as voters turned on the Conservatives after years of high inflation, ethics scandals and a revolving door of prime ministers. Starmer has promised to patch up the country's aging infrastructure and frayed public services, but says he won't raise personal taxes and insists change must be bound by "unbreakable fiscal rules." The government said Wednesday's speech will include more than 35 bills - the Conservatives' last speech had just 21 - ranging from housebuilding to nationalizing Britain's railways and decarbonizing the nation's power supply with a publicly owned green energy firm. "It looks like it's going to be very ambitious and very wide-ranging," said Jill Rutter, senior research fellow at the Institute for Government think tank. There will be moves to give more powers to local government, and a law to ensure all government budgets get advance independent scrutiny. Rutter called that the "anti- Liz Truss bill," referring to the Conservative prime minister whose package of unfunded tax cuts in 2022 rocked the British economy and ended her brief term in office. Also expected are new measures to strengthen border security, following on from Starmer's decision to scrap the Conservatives' plan to send people arriving in the U.K. across the English Channel on a one-way trip to Rwanda. The contentious scheme faced multiple legal challenges and cost the U.K. several hundred million pounds (dollars), without a single flight taking off. There is also expected to be a law regulating the development of artificial intelligence, a possible break from the previous government's light-touch approach to governing AI. The government may also announce significant changes to the U.K.'s political system, including lowering the voting age from 18 to 16, one of Labour's election promises. It might even tackle an issue that has foxed previous governments: reforming the House of Lords. The unelected upper chamber of Parliament is packed with almost 800 members - largely lifetime political appointees, with a smattering of judges, bishops and hereditary aristocrats. Starmer has said he would like to remove the hereditary nobles and set a Lords retirement age of 80. While much of Starmer's agenda marks a break with the defeated Conservative government of former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Starmer may revive Sunak's plan to stop future generations from smoking by gradually raising the minimum age for buying tobacco. Wednesday's address is the second such speech delivered by Charles since the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September 2022. For all its royal trappings - including lords in ermine-trimmed robes and an official known as Black Rod -- it is the King's Speech in name only. "The king has zero agency in this," Rutter said.

UK's New Labour Government Sets Out Plans to 'Take the Brakes Off' the Economy in King's Speech

LONDON (AP) -- Britain's new Labour Party government campaigned on a promise to bring bold change at modest cost. Prime Minister Keir Starmer gets a chance to show how he aims to reconcile those two aims on Wednesday when the government announces its plans for the coming year. Starmer said the measures announced in the King's Speech to Parliament would "take the brakes off Britain" and "create wealth for people up and down the country" by spurring economic growth. The King's Speech is the centerpiece of the State Opening of Parliament, an occasion where royal pomp meets hard-nosed politics, as King Charles III dons a diamond-studded crown, sits on a gilded throne and announces the government's legislative agenda. Starmer said the speech would be a "down payment on our plans for the next five years," which center on getting the U.K.'s stuttering economy growing strongly. Labour won a landslide election victory on July 4 as voters turned on the Conservatives after years of high inflation, ethics scandals and a revolving door of prime ministers. Starmer has promised to patch up the country's aging infrastructure and frayed public services, but says he won't raise personal taxes and insists change must be bound by "unbreakable fiscal rules." The government said Wednesday's speech will include more than 35 bills - the Conservatives' last speech had just 21 - ranging from housebuilding to nationalizing Britain's railways and decarbonizing the nation's power supply with a publicly owned green energy firm. "It looks like it's going to be very ambitious and very wide-ranging," said Jill Rutter, senior research fellow at the Institute for Government think tank. There will be moves to give more powers to local government, and a law to ensure all government budgets get advance independent scrutiny. Rutter called that the "anti- Liz Truss bill," referring to the Conservative prime minister whose package of unfunded tax cuts in 2022 rocked the British economy and ended her brief term in office. Also expected are new measures to strengthen border security, following on from Starmer's decision to scrap the Conservatives' plan to send people arriving in the U.K. across the English Channel on a one-way trip to Rwanda. The contentious scheme faced multiple legal challenges and cost the U.K. several hundred million pounds (dollars), without a single flight taking off. There is also expected to be a law regulating the development of artificial intelligence, a possible break from the previous government's light-touch approach to governing AI. The government may also announce significant changes to the U.K.'s political system, including lowering the voting age from 18 to 16, one of Labour's election promises. It might even tackle an issue that has foxed previous governments: reforming the House of Lords. The unelected upper chamber of Parliament is packed with almost 800 members - largely lifetime political appointees, with a smattering of judges, bishops and hereditary aristocrats. Starmer has said he would like to remove the hereditary nobles and set a Lords retirement age of 80. While much of Starmer's agenda marks a break with the defeated Conservative government of former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Starmer may revive Sunak's plan to stop future generations from smoking by gradually raising the minimum age for buying tobacco. Wednesday's address is the second such speech delivered by Charles since the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September 2022. For all its royal trappings - including lords in ermine-trimmed robes and an official known as Black Rod -- it is the King's Speech in name only. "The king has zero agency in this," Rutter said. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

'Wealth creation for all': New UK government outlines agenda in King's speech

The UK's new government has placed economic growth and planning reform at the heart of it's agenda, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer's outlining plans to introduce 40 bills in the first Kings Speech for a Labour Government in over 15 years. King Charles III made the ceremonial trip to Westminster on Wednesday for the official opening of Parliament, outlining the agenda his newly elected government will pursue over the next year. Earlier this month the British public voted to bring an end to the 14 years of Conservative Party rule, which has seen five different prime ministers reside at 10 Downing Street. Starmer's Labour Party was swept into power in a landslide, winning 411 of the 650 seats in the House of Commons, with Rishi Sunak's Conservatives reduced to just 121 seats and Ed Davey's Liberal Democrats earning 72. The agenda set out in the King's Speech - which is prepared by the government of the day - placed economic growth at its core. "Securing economic growth will be a fundamental mission," the King said, adding that his government's objective was to "see rising living standards" in all parts of the UK. "My government will seek a new partnership with both business and working people and help the country move on from the recent cost of living challenges by prioritising wealth creation for all communities." In comments provided prior to the speech, the new Prime Minister said it was "time to take the brakes off Britain". "I am determined to create wealth for people up and down the country. It is the only way our country can progress, and my government is focused on supporting that aspiration," he said. "Today's new laws will take back control and lay the foundations of real change that this country is crying out for, creating wealth in every community and making people better off - supporting their ambitions, hopes and dreams." The King's speech also outlined plans to boost housing construction through planning reforms that would force local councils to adopt mandatory housing targets. The government will also introduce laws to increase decentralised decision making to devolved authorities, with the English Devolution bill that will "give new powers to metro mayors and combined authorities". "This will support local growth plans that bring economic benefit to communities," the King said. Bills targeting crime and border security will be introduced in an attempt to "modernise the asylum and immigration system", with a new Border Security Command set to be created to deliver "enhanced counter terror powers to tackle organised immigration crime". The speech was not without policies that will appeal to voters on the Left of the Labor Party, with a new employment rights bill that will "ban exploitative practices" and a host of legislation announced as part of the government's commitment to the "clean energy transition". These were presented alongside plans to "place requirements" on companies working to develop "powerful artificial intelligence models", and a bill to establish an "independent football regulator" that would "strengthen protections for fans". The football regulator is a win for supporter groups who have pushed for measures to prevent top Premier League clubs breaking away, in a repeat of the abandoned plans to create a European Super League. On foreign policy the King Charles emphasised the government's "unshakable" commitment to the NATO alliance and a continuation of the previous government's commitments to the defence of Ukraine. "My government will ensure a strong defence based on the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's common values of individual liberty, democracy, human rights and the rule of law," the monarch said. "(It) will continue to give its full support to Ukraine and its people and it will endeavour to play a leading role in providing Ukraine with a clear path to NATO membership."

UK's new Labour government sets out plans to 'take the brakes off' the economy in King's Speech - Times of India

LONDON: Britain's new Labour Party government campaigned on a promise to bring bold change at modest cost. Prime minister Keir Starmer gets a chance to show how he aims to reconcile those two aims on Wednesday when the government announces its plans for the coming year. Starmer said the measures announced in the King's Speech to Parliament would "take the brakes off Britain" and "create wealth for people up and down the country" by spurring economic growth. The King's Speech is the centrepiece of the State Opening of Parliament, an occasion where royal pomp meets hard nosed politics as King Charles III dons a diamond studded crown, sits on a gilded throne, and announces the government's legislative agenda. Starmer said the speech would be a "down payment on our plans for the next five years," which centre on getting the UK's stuttering economy to grow strongly. Labour won a landslide election victory on July 4 as voters turned on the Conservatives after years of high inflation, ethics scandals, and a revolving door of prime ministers. Starmer has promised to patch up the country's ageing infrastructure and frayed public services, but he says he won't raise personal taxes and insists change must be bound by "unbreakable fiscal rules." The government said Wednesday's speech will include more than 35 bills, the Conservatives' last speech had just 21, ranging from housebuilding to nationalising Britain's railways and decarbonising the nation's power supply with a publicly owned green energy firm. "It looks like it's going to be very ambitious and very wide ranging," said Jill Rutter, senior research fellow at the Institute for Government think tank. There will be moves to give more powers to local government, and a law to ensure all government budgets get advance independent scrutiny. Rutter called that the "anti Liz Truss bill," referring to the Conservative prime minister whose package of unfunded tax cuts in 2022 rocked the British economy and ended her brief term in office. Also expected are new measures to strengthen border security, following on from Starmer's decision to scrap the Conservatives' plan to send people arriving in the UK across the English Channel on a one way trip to Rwanda. The contentious scheme faced multiple legal challenges and cost the UK several hundred million pounds (dollars), without a single flight taking off. There is also expected to be a law regulating the development of artificial intelligence, a possible break from the previous government's light-touch approach to governing AI. The government may also announce significant changes to the UK's political system, including lowering the voting age from 18 to 16, one of Labour's election promises. It might even tackle an issue that has foxed previous governments: reforming the House of Lords. The unelected upper chamber of Parliament is packed with almost 800 members largely lifetime political appointees, with a smattering of judges, bishops and hereditary aristocrats. Starmer has said he would like to remove the hereditary nobles and set a Lords retirement age of 80. While much of Starmer's agenda marks a break with the defeated Conservative government of former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Starmer may revive Sunak's plan to stop future generations from smoking by gradually raising the minimum age for buying tobacco. Wednesday's address is the second such speech delivered by Charles since the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September 2022. For all its royal trappings, including lords in ermine trimmed robes and an official known as Black Rod, it is the King's Speech in name only. "The king has zero agency in this," Rutter said.

UK's new Labour government says it will turn the page on cost-of-living crisis and boost economy

LONDON (AP) -- Britain's new center-left government says it will help the country move on from a cost-of-living crisis by focusing on wealth creation, as it sets out its plans for the coming year. A speech written by the Labour government' and delivered in Parliament by King Charles III, says Labour will get more houses and infrastructure projects built, strengthen workers' rights and create a new industrial strategy. The king said the goal is to "see rising living standards in all nations and regions of the United Kingdom." Labour won Britain's July 4 election by a landslide, as voters eager for change after years of political and economic pain ousted the Conservative Party after 14 years in office. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP's earlier story follows below. LONDON (AP) -- Britain's new Labour Party government campaigned on a promise to bring bold change at modest cost. Prime Minister Keir Starmer gets a chance to show how he aims to reconcile those two aims on Wednesday when the government announces its plans for the coming year. King Charles III arrived at Parliament in a horse-drawn carriage to deliver the King's Speech, written for him by the government. Starmer said the legislation announced in the speech would "take the brakes off Britain" and "create wealth for people up and down the country" by spurring economic growth. The King's Speech is the centerpiece of the State Opening of Parliament, an occasion where royal pomp meets hard-nosed politics, as Charles dons a diamond-studded crown, sits on a gilded throne and announces the government's legislative agenda. Starmer said the speech would be a "down payment on our plans for the next five years," which center on getting the U.K.'s stuttering economy growing. Labour won a landslide election victory on July 4 as voters turned on the Conservatives after years of high inflation, ethics scandals and a revolving door of prime ministers. Starmer has promised to patch up the country's aging infrastructure and frayed public services, but says he won't raise personal taxes and insists change must be bound by "unbreakable fiscal rules." The government said Wednesday's speech will include more than 35 bills - the Conservatives' last speech had just 21 - ranging from housebuilding to nationalizing Britain's railways and decarbonizing the nation's power supply with a publicly owned green energy firm. "It looks like it's going to be very ambitious and very wide-ranging," said Jill Rutter, senior research fellow at the Institute for Government think tank. There will be moves to give more powers to local government, and a law to ensure all government budgets get advance independent scrutiny. Rutter called that the "anti- Liz Truss bill," referring to the Conservative prime minister whose package of unfunded tax cuts in 2022 rocked the British economy and ended her brief term in office. Also expected are new measures to strengthen border security, following on from Starmer's decision to scrap the Conservatives' plan to send people arriving in the U.K. across the English Channel on a one-way trip to Rwanda. The contentious scheme faced multiple legal challenges and cost the U.K. several hundred million pounds (dollars), without a single flight taking off. There is also expected to be a law regulating the development of artificial intelligence, a possible break from the previous government's light-touch approach to governing AI. The government may also announce significant changes to the U.K.'s political system, including lowering the voting age from 18 to 16, one of Labour's election promises. It might even tackle an issue that has foxed previous governments: reforming the House of Lords. The unelected upper chamber of Parliament is packed with almost 800 members - largely lifetime political appointees, with a smattering of judges, bishops and hereditary aristocrats. Starmer has said he would like to remove the hereditary nobles and set a Lords retirement age of 80. While much of Starmer's agenda marks a break with the defeated Conservative government of former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Starmer may revive Sunak's plan to stop future generations from smoking by gradually raising the minimum age for buying tobacco. Wednesday's address is the second such speech delivered by Charles since the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September 2022. For all its royal trappings - including lords in ermine-trimmed robes and an official known as Black Rod -- it is the King's Speech in name only.

Charles III unveils new Labour govt plan to turbocharge economy in King's Speech

This year's State Opening of Parliament marks the first sitting of the House of Commons after the July 4 general election in which Starmer's left-leaning Labour Party won a landslide victory, ending 14 years of Conservative Party rule. Starmer ran on a promise to bring bold change at modest cost. The King's Speech gives him a chance to show how he aims to reconcile those two aims. Starmer said the measures announced in the King's Speech to Parliament would "take the brakes off Britain" and "create wealth for people up and down the country" by spurring economic growth. "The legislation set out at the King's Speech will build on the momentum of our first days in office and make a difference to the lives of working people," said Starmer, adding that the speech would be a "down payment on our plans for the next five years", which focus on getting the UK's stuttering economy growing strongly. Wearing the diamond-studded Imperial State Crown and a long crimson robe, King Charles will deliver the proposals from a golden throne in the House of Lords upper chamber during a lavish ceremony. But despite its name - and for all the ceremony's royal trappings - the address is not written by the monarch but by the government, which uses it to detail the laws it proposes to make over the next 12 months. The speech is expected to include more than 35 bills, including measures to enforce public spending rules and others to prevent a repeat of the utility bill price hikes that triggered the UK's recent cost-of-living crisis. 'This is a hungry party' The legislation will also flesh out announcements already made, such as the launching of a fund to draw investment into the UK and of a publicly owned body tasked with boosting clean power by 2030. Labour is also likely to announce the restoration of mandatory housebuilding targets, plans to renationalise Britain's much-maligned rail services, as well as the opening of recruitment for a new border security command. Starmer has scrapped the Conservatives' plan to send people arriving in the UK across the English Channel on a one-way trip to Rwanda. The controversial scheme faced multiple legal challenges and cost the UK several hundred million pounds (dollars), without a single flight taking off. A bill to boost workers' rights, including a ban on zero-hour contracts, and strengthened protections for renters are also expected to be included. "This is a hungry party," former Labour minister Tony McNulty told AFP. "They are chomping at the bit to show that they can get back to being what they see as the natural party of government." 'Very ambitious and very wide-ranging' Starmer has promised to patch up the country's aging infrastructure and frayed public services, but says he won't raise personal taxes and insists change must be bound by "unbreakable fiscal rules". "It looks like it's going to be very ambitious and very wide-ranging," said Jill Rutter, senior research fellow at the Institute for Government think tank. There will be moves to give more powers to local government, and a law to ensure all government budgets get advance independent scrutiny. Rutter called that the "anti- Liz Truss bill", referring to the Conservative prime minister whose package of unfunded tax cuts in 2022 rocked the British economy and ended her brief term in office. A law is expected on regulating the development of artificial intelligence, a possible break from the previous government's light-touch approach to governing AI. The government may also announce significant changes to the UK's political system, including lowering the voting age from 18 to 16, one of Labour's election promises. It may even tackle an issue that has foxed previous governments: reforming the House of Lords. The unelected upper chamber of Parliament is packed with almost 800 members - largely lifetime political appointees, with a smattering of judges, bishops and hereditary aristocrats. Starmer has said he would like to remove the hereditary nobles and set a Lords retirement age of 80. While much of Starmer's agenda marks a break with the defeated Conservative government of former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Starmer may revive Sunak's plan to stop future generations from smoking by gradually raising the minimum age for buying tobacco. Wednesday's address is the second such speech delivered by Charles since the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September 2022. In keeping with the convention that the monarch is above politics, keen environmentalist King Charles remained expressionless during the last address in November when then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government announced new oil and gas licences. "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."

King's Speech sets out plan to "get Britain building"

(Alliance News) - Keir Starmer set out plans to tear up planning red tape, reform the economy and restore trust in politics in a sweeping set of changes in the Labour government's first King's Speech. The prime minister vowed to "fix the foundations of this nation for the long-term" with a programme containing 40 proposed pieces of legislation. Starmer said change will not happen overnight but his plan would "unlock growth and take the brakes off Britain". After a divisive election campaign, Starmer said "the fight for trust is the battle that defines our political era" and only delivering real change can "begin to restore people's faith that politics can be a force for good". In his introduction to the government's programme, he said: "Rebuilding our country will not happen overnight. The challenges we face require determined, patient work and serious solutions, rather than the temptation of the easy answer. "The snake oil charm of populism may sound seductive, but it drives us into the dead end of further division and greater disappointment." The speech, delivered in the House of Lords by the King with all the traditional pomp and pageantry, includes many of the policies championed in Labour's manifesto. Charles told the gathered peers and MPs the government's programme would be "based upon the principles of security, fairness and opportunity for all", adding that his ministers would "get Britain building". The Planning & Infrastructure bill will reform the system to help meet the goal of building 1.5 million more homes over the course of the Parliament, deciding "how, not if" properties are built. It will also mean landowners forced to sell up to make way for new developments will be paid a "fair but not excessive" price where important infrastructure or social housing is being built. It is one of 15 bills or draft bills under the broad heading of "economic stability and growth", the key focus of the Starmer administration's first session. Other measures in the programme include: - Establishing state-owned energy production firm Great British Energy with GBP8.3 billion of public money across the Parliament. - Creating a GBP7.3 billion national wealth fund to invest in schemes to generate economic growth and clean energy. - A new package of workers' rights, banning "exploitative" zero-hour contracts and giving day one rights on flexible working, parental leave, sick pay and protection from unfair dismissal. - A law to put water companies into "special measures" to clean up rivers, lakes and seas, with bosses facing personal criminal liability for lawbreaking and a beefed-up regulator having the power to ban bonus payments if environmental standards are not met. - A bill to create a new Border Security Command and putting stronger penalties in place for migrant smuggling gangs as part of the effort to curb crossing of the English Channel. - Measures to end no-fault evictions and give greater protections to people renting their homes. - Plans to end the "outdated and indefensible" presence of hereditary peers in the House of Lords. - Confirmation of plans to impose VAT on private school fees to fund new teachers in state classrooms. Setting out the key aims of his plan, Starmer said: "We will reform the planning rules to build the homes and infrastructure the country desperately needs. "We will level up workers' rights, so every person has security, respect and dignity at work; we will create a new industrial strategy and invest in cleaner, cheaper British energy; and we will harness the power of artificial intelligence as we look to strengthen safety frameworks." Despite the government's focus on speeding through planning decisions on major infrastructure and housing schemes, he promised to "push power out of Westminster". Local leaders will be given powers to take control of bus services and trains will be brought under public ownership. The King's Speech also confirms the return of measures which were first introduced under the Conservatives - plans to phase out smoking and the creation of an independent football regulator. Starmer said: "This is an agenda focused entirely on delivering security, opportunity, prosperity and justice for every person across the country. "We will unlock growth and take the brakes off Britain, turning the page for good on the economic irresponsibility and pervasive inability to face the future that we saw under the Conservative government. "This King's Speech returns politics to serious government, returns government to service, and returns service to the interests of working people." Copyright 2024 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Labour's Britain champions a more active state

Beyond the pomp and pageantry, the state opening of the British parliament -- where the monarch announces the government's legislative programme -- is an opportunity for the ruling party to lay down an early statement of intent. At the King's Speech on Wednesday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer set out 40 bills, signalling that the country's new Labour party leadership seeks to rapidly capitalise on the political momentum built up from its historic election win. Its ambitious legislative agenda also underscores a deeper shift in how the UK's economic affairs will be managed. This government wants the state to play a more active role. While the previous conservative administration generally believed in a small government, centred on correcting market failures, Starmer envisages the state as more of a force for good. His proposals include intervening in the planning system, creating a publicly-owned clean energy company, called Great British Energy, renationalising rail services, and developing several new bodies, including to enforce workplace rights. Former prime minister Rishi Sunak avoided using the term "industrial strategy", Labour now loudly champions one. In many ways, Britain is just catching up with the global trend towards state-driven economic strategies. Chancellor Rachel Reeves' "securonomics" agenda is inspired by US President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act. Many of today's challenges -- including the climate transition and rising national security threats -- cannot be solved by the private sector alone. But getting the right balance between strategic involvement and the market is crucial. Government intervention risks distorting price signals, smothering business, and creating waste. It needs to be calibrated. Labour downplayed the party's traditional statist instincts during the election campaign. Now in power, with limited public finances and a large majority, it must guard against becoming controlling. A few pieces of planned legislation run the risk of over-reach. For instance, an Employment Rights bill to raise protections for workers must not undermine Britain's flexible labour market, which supports economic growth across the country. Although there was no artificial intelligence bill, the King's Speech mentioned plans to create rules that would govern the development of the most powerful AI models. The approach sounds similar to the EU's AI Act, which has been heavily criticised as stifling innovation. Sunak had opted for voluntary agreements with AI companies rather than legislation. The government should focus its efforts on enabling the private sector. The state can and should play a stronger role in removing impediments to business growth and investment. That also means bringing coherence and predictability to the policy agenda, which was lacking under the conservatives. The government has prioritised some promising initiatives. This includes the Planning and Infrastructure bill, which aims to tackle the vested interests that prevent the country from building. Plans to create an Industrial Strategy Council, to monitor the government's growth agenda, and a Budget Responsibility bill -- to ensure significant tax and spending packages are always assessed by the independent fiscal watchdog -- should give investors reassurances on the long-term direction of policy. Bills proposing to channel public investment via the National Wealth Fund and GB Energy are also sensible, providing they can crowd-in private capital for important infrastructure projects. While the King's Speech largely enshrined what was already outlined in Labour's manifesto, the details behind its various bills still need to be ironed-out. Ministers must develop them in consultation with the private sector, rather than relying solely on state institutions to design and implement them. The government can indeed play an important role in helping to steer the British economy and in facilitating investment. Its efforts, however, will be counterproductive if it decides to be heavy-handed.

UK's Labour vows planning reform and clean energy transition as King's Speech reveals key policies

LONDON -- The U.K.'s new Labour government on Wednesday outlined a raft of proposed legislation, including the nationalization of rail operators and the creation of a publicly-owned clean power company. In a speech delivered by King Charles III on behalf of the administration, the government said it is "committed to a clean energy transition that will lower bills for consumers over time," adding that it would establish Great British Energy, headquartered in Scotland, to help accelerate investment in renewable energy such as offshore wind. The speech listed a broad range of proposals, many of which have already been announced. Labour said it would reform planning rules to accelerate infrastructure projects and housebuilding, strengthen the powers of the U.K.'s water regulator, give the police greater authority to tackle anti-social behavior and remove an existing tax exemption on private school fees in order to fund new teachers. A pledge of economic growth was yet again front and center in the speech, described in the opening lines as a "fundamental mission" which would help the country move on from the cost of living crisis. Charles said the government would "seek to establish the appropriate legislation to place requirements on those working to develop the most powerful artificial intelligence models," referring to the general-purpose AI systems being developed by the likes of Microsoft-backed OpenAI. In a long-standing tradition, the monarch sets out a new government's policy agenda following a pomp-filled ceremony for the State Opening of Parliament. Earlier in the morning, the king and Queen Camilla travelled in a horse-drawn coach from Buckingham Palace to Westminster. The speech is written by the government and delivered by the monarch, the U.K. head of state who wields only symbolic political power in modern times. The speech is a statement of intent and is not legally binding.