Tuesday marks King Charles’s first King’s Speech as monarch. This is a significant moment for him as he will be under scrutiny to see if he maintains continuity and whether he will address his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in a new way. The pressure is also on because he will have to announce measures, which he may dislike, that roll back environmental protections that are important to him. This is also Rishi Sunak’s first King’s Speech as prime minister, and he faces the challenge of defying gravity and ensuring it is not his last. The King’s Speech is one of the top five moments in Number 10’s calendar for the autumn, but it is difficult to use as a clear political message. The Gracious Address, as it is also known, is when the monarch outlines the laws the government wishes to pass in the coming months. However, the inclusion or absence of a bill does not necessarily determine its passage into law. Choosing what to leave out of the speech reveals the government’s weaknesses, while the bills included convey its intended message. Some bills in this year’s speech, labeled as “draft,” are unlikely to become law before the upcoming general election. This emphasizes that they are not a priority for the current government. Additionally, laws to establish Great British Railways and to scrap nutrient neutrality rules are not expected to be part of the speech. A law to ban gay conversion therapy has also been downgraded to a draft bill due to disagreements within the Tory party. The government’s stated priorities for the speech are the future prosperity of the UK, economic opportunities, and a brighter future. However, the focus is on grabbing attention with measures such as a Vandalism Bill to outlaw tents and the retrieval of stolen phones without a warrant. The speech also aims to highlight environmental differences with Labour and includes measures related to oil and gas licensing and limits on council powers for clean air zones and Low Traffic Neighbourhoods. Two significant housing measures are also expected, including the abolition of leaseholds on newly built houses.
