Britain’s heir to the throne, Prince Charles, replaced his 96-year-old mother Queen Elizabeth II at Tuesday’s (May 10, 2022) opening of the UK Parliament, which sets out the government’s legislative plans.
The absence of the Queen at the opening of the UK Parliament marked the first time since 1963 that the Monarch missed the ceremonial event. Charles, who attended the Opening of Parliament alongside his mother in recent years, started reading out each bill by saying: “Her Majesty’s government will…”.
The State Opening of Parliament is an event of huge pomp and pageantry which traditionally sees the Queen travelling to the Assembly in a State Coach, escorted by mounted soldiers in ceremonial uniform, while the Imperial State Crown and other regalia travel ahead in a carriage of their own.
What Tradition Demands
Per tradition, the Monarch dons the Robe of State before leading a procession to the upper chamber of the House of Lords, where she would sit on a throne and formally open a new session of parliament, reading a speech written by the government, which outlines its legislative plans. For another Royal to step into the Queen’s shoes, she issues a ‘Letters Patent’ to authorise Charles and William to carry out her role at the constitutional event.
Being forced to withdraw due to a recurrence of mobility issues, 73-year-old Prince Charles arrived at the Palace of Westminster to read out the Government’s legislative agenda. Prince Charles delivered the short address to MPs and peers. Others present at the speech delivery were the Duke of Cambridge and the Duchess of Cornwall.
A vow to Deliver on the 2019 Elections Promises
In the traditional Queen’s Speech, written by the Government, Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, intimated that his Conservative administration would “deliver on the promises” made ahead of the 2019 general election.
But there was little to comfort the millions of people struggling with high fuel and food costs, with the Government reiterating that it would “repair the public finances” rather than channel money to cushion the blow.
Prince Charles, while reading the address said“Her Majesty’s government will drive economic growth to improve living standards and fund sustainable investment in public services. This will be underpinned by a responsible approach to the public finances, reducing debt while reforming and cutting taxes”.
Overlooking the Key Issues
Prior to the Queen’s speech, concerns were being raised over the rising cost of living, with the Bank of England warning that inflation could hit around 10% later this year (2022).
The Queen’s Speech revealed 38 bills, including measures to revitalise Britain’s high streets, crackdown on illicit finance and make the City, London’s financial district, more attractive to global investors. However, none of the bills outlined by the Government directly addressed the issue, but the Prime Minister said wider economic reforms would assist households.
“We must… remember that for every pound of taxpayers’ money we spend on reducing bills now, it is a pound we are not investing in bringing down bills and prices over the longer term. If anything, this moment makes clear our best remedy lies in urgently delivering on our mission to turbo-charge the economy, create jobs and spread opportunity across the country.”
Prime Minister, Boris Johnson
Trying to Restore a Good Reputation
Johnson and his government are keen to return the focus to what they called the “real issues” and turn the page on scandals after months of reports of Covid-19 lockdown gatherings which took place at the Prime Minister’s Downing Street office and residence.
After Johnson and his finance minister, Rishi Sunak, were both fined for one such gathering, Keir Starmer, Leader of the opposition Labour Party, stepped up the pressure when Johnson pledged to resign if the Metropolitan Police report found him guilty of breaking the rules. Neither Johnson nor Sunak have stepped down, and Downing Street is still awaiting the results of the Police investigation into other gatherings.
Johnson was punished in last week’s local elections when voters in Southern England abandoned his party over the scandals and the rising cost of living. This prompted some members of his party to urge Johnson to return to a more traditional Conservative agenda of tax cuts and preventing housing from encroaching on rural areas.
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