For the first time as king, Charles III held on Tuesday the throne speech to the British Parliament, in which Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government wanted to present a “long-term” vision in the run-up to the election.
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“Eager” to continue the legacy of his “beloved mother” Elizabeth II, Charles took part in this ritual of British political life that officially opens the parliamentary session. As heir to the throne, he had already done this in May 2022 and delivered the previous throne speech on behalf of his mother, whose health was deteriorating.
AFP
When the ruler, who celebrates his 75th birthday in November, arrived by carriage at the Palace of Westminster, he was this time greeted by dozens of demonstrators shouting “not my king” and “what a waste”, something that occurred under Elizabeth II .was unimaginable.
AFP
The king wore the ceremonial imperial crown and sat next to Queen Camilla on the golden throne of the House of Lords. He was speaking at the end of a ceremony with centuries-old traditions that begins with the inspection of Westminster cellars in search of explosives and the symbolic taking of an MP hostage at Buckingham Palace to ensure “the safe return of the King” to his residence.
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After the outbreak of Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine, which contributed to the severe cost of living crisis in the UK, “my government’s priority is to make the difficult but necessary long-term decisions to transform this country,” stressed the monarch This speech was prepared by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
AFP
This first speech may be the last from Rishi Sunak, who has tried to bring some stability to Downing Street after the scandals of the Boris Johnson era and Liz Truss’s eventful 49 days, but is struggling to breathe new life, while general elections are scheduled for next year. The Conservatives, in power for almost 14 years, are well behind the Labor opposition in the polls, led by their rival Keir Starmer.
AFP
This ten-minute speech, a key moment in political life, but whose political content remains mostly vague and general, therefore represented one of the last chances for Rishi Sunak to give an idea of the course that has been taken to reverse the trend and to… distance yourself from plowing.
Controversial oil projects
With the king’s voice, the former finance minister and 43-year-old investment banker reiterated his desire to fight inflation, reduce the bills of British citizens, but also train more doctors and nurses and gradually ban the sale of cigarettes in the United Kingdom.
AFP
Rishi Sunak, who entered Downing Street just over a year ago, paints a portrait of a forward-thinking prime minister and also wants to create “new regulatory frameworks” to support the development of autonomous vehicles and encourage innovation in areas such as artificial intelligence ( AI).
Giving pledges to the right wing of the Conservative Party, Rishi Sunak proposed toughening sanctions against murderers and sex offenders and strengthening the powers of the police and courts to combat “cybercrime or the exploitation of children”.
As outlined Monday, a bill will “support the licensing of new oil and gas fields to help the country achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 without unduly burdening budgets,” it said, citing its longstanding commitment to protecting the Environment.
This decision, taken in the name of energy security, has been sharply criticized by environmental activists who have been mobilizing against the government’s new hydrocarbon production projects since the beginning of November at the call of the organization Just Stop Oil.
“Sunak’s problem is that he is running out of time,” said Richard Carr, associate professor of public policy at Anglia Ruskin University, in an interview with AFP. “Voters are tired and angry with conservative governments.”