King Charles III yesterday gave the first king’s speech in more than 70 years, formally opening the British parliament with a run-down of his government’s legislative plans as an election looms.
The 74-year-old head of state outlined British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s wish list of new laws.
The address from a golden throne in the House of Lords came as the Conservatives, in power since 2010, trail Labour by double-digits in most opinion polls before an election expected next year.
Photo: Reuters
The ceremonial address, and the traditions that accompany it, was Charles’ first as monarch, although he had a dry run deputizing for his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in May last year.
It is also Sunak’s first since succeeding Liz Truss, who took over from Boris Johnson as prime minister just two days before the queen’s death and lasted only 49 days in office.
In the speech, Sunak reinforced clear dividing lines that he is drawing with Keir Starmer’s Labour party over the environment and energy.
It proposed a law granting new licenses for oil and gas projects in the North Sea annually that Sunak said would reduce Britain’s reliance on foreign energy and create jobs.
He had already announced a rollback of green energy policies in September, positioning himself as a champion of motorists in a bid to turn around his party’s fortunes.
Labour has said it would not award any new oil and gas exploration licenses and has pledged instead to boost investment in green energy.
The King’s Speech signifies the start of a new parliamentary year and was last delivered by a male monarch in 1951 — although not in person, as King George VI was unwell.
It indicates the types of laws the government hopes to get through parliament in the following 12 months.
Although a Tory defeat at the next election is far from a foregone conclusion, owing to their parliamentary majority, a loss would mean much of the legislation never seeing the light of day.
Seven people sustained mostly minor injuries in an airplane fire in South Korea, authorities said yesterday, with local media suggesting the blaze might have been caused by a portable battery stored in the overhead bin. The Air Busan plane, an Airbus A321, was set to fly to Hong Kong from Gimhae International Airport in southeastern Busan, but caught fire in the rear section on Tuesday night, the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said. A total of 169 passengers and seven flight attendants and staff were evacuated down inflatable slides, it said. Authorities initially reported three injuries, but revised the number
‘BALD-FACED LIE’: The woman is accused of administering non-prescribed drugs to the one-year-old and filmed the toddler’s distress to solicit donations online A social media influencer accused of filming the torture of her baby to gain money allegedly manufactured symptoms causing the toddler to have brain surgery, a magistrate has heard. The 34-year-old Queensland woman is charged with torturing an infant and posting videos of the little girl online to build a social media following and solicit donations. A decision on her bail application in a Brisbane court was yesterday postponed after the magistrate opted to take more time before making a decision in an effort “not to be overwhelmed” by the nature of allegations “so offensive to right-thinking people.” The Sunshine Coast woman —
BORDER SERVICES: With the US-funded International Rescue Committee telling clinics to shut by tomorrow, Burmese refugees face sudden discharge from Thai hospitals Healthcare centers serving tens of thousands of refugees on the Thai-Myanmar border have been ordered shut after US President Donald Trump froze most foreign aid last week, forcing Thai officials to transport the sickest patients to other facilities. The International Rescue Committee (IRC), which funds the clinics with US support, told the facilities to shut by tomorrow, a local official and two camp committee members said. The IRC did not respond to a request for comment. Trump last week paused development assistance from the US Agency for International Development for 90 days to assess compatibility with his “America First” policy. The freeze has thrown
TESTING BAN: Satellite photos show a facility in the Chinese city of Mianyang that could aid nuclear weapons design and power generation, a US researcher said China appears to be building a large laser-ignited fusion research center in the southwestern city of Mianyang, experts at two analytical organizations said, a development that could aid nuclear weapons design and work exploring power generation. Satellite photos show four outlying “arms” that would house laser bays, and a central experiment bay that would hold a target chamber containing hydrogen isotopes the powerful lasers would fuse together, producing energy, said Decker Eveleth, a researcher at US-based independent research organization CNA Corp. It is a similar layout to the US$3.5 billion US National Ignition Facility (NIF) in northern California, which in 2022 generated
RSS