The sun was not shining on His Majesty as he made his way to the Houses of Parliament to deliver the King’s Speech in the middle of May – a metaphor which could easily be extended to this entire government, writes Rachel Gilmour MP.
Amidst all the pageantry, however, was the government’s programme of legislation for the next parliamentary session, and I have some mixed thoughts on the matter.
Coming so close to the May local elections, it was clear that this speech was meant to be a reset – Keir Starmer has had a lot of those in his 21 months in Downing Street – but what we got was mixed.
There were good points.
The proscription of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), who operate out of Iran, and the severing of the link between gas and electricity prices, both of which are longstanding Lib Dem policies, will be legislated for in this session.
There were points which felt like a good start, but they didn’t go far enough - like the new Clean Water Bill.
The government have come round to the view that Ofwat needs to be scrapped – something Lib Dems campaigned on since 2022, but better late than never, I suppose.
What was missing from the Bill, however, is the government mandating water companies to publish the volume and concentration of sewage discharges, and transition all water companies to mutually owned public benefit corporations.
But then there were the gaps – gaping holes in the government’s programme, with not so much as a placeholder bill to signal the government’s intent.
On social care, we don’t need to wait for a review in 2028 – just in time for the next election to throw the whole thing up in the air again.
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We didn’t hear anything about the single biggest step anyone can take to restore growth in our economy - resetting the relationship we have with Europe.
And we didn’t hear anything on the Defence Investment Plan; over a year after the publication of the Defence Industrial Strategy, we still haven’t heard anything about the plans for investment.
Add to that nothing on fixing our broken electoral system by replacing First Past the Post, and nothing on prioritising food security and backing our farmers, and I’m afraid to say, the King’s Speech left a lot to be desired.
It might all be for nought anyway.
With Makerfield’s by-election coming up in a matter of weeks, Andy Burnham may well be on his way back to Westminster to dethrone Keir Starmer.
Firstly, what an arrogant way to treat the people of Makerfield – as if they’re just a vehicle for his own political ambition!
The gamble might blow up in his face.
If he does manage to get back to Parliament, whether that is a good thing really depends on which Andy Burnham turns up.
The Andy Burnham who believes in a strong Britain at the heart of Europe, believes in electoral reform, and wants more powers devolved to regions, or the Andy Burnham who doesn’t.
We will have to wait and see whether this speech will even be worth the paper it is written on as things develop in the coming days.
Amongst all this, however, I am clear where my focus lies.
It remains the honour and privilege of my life to be the Member of Parliament for Tiverton and Minehead, and it always will be.
My focus will always be on working in the interests of my constituents and putting their interests first – whatever the machinations in Whitehall.
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