LIVE: Starmer emerges from No10 for State Opening of Parliament

Here’s our live stream of the State Opening of Parliament and the King’s Speech, marking the start of the parliamentary year:

The King and Queen have left Buckingham Palace in the Irish State Coach, pulled by six grey horses.

They were accompanied by a Sovereign’s Escort of the Household Cavalry as they travelled in the carriage procession to the House of Lords.

The Irish State Coach – made in Ireland and exhibited in 1853 at the Great Industrial Exhibition in Dublin – is a closed carriage with dark brown body panels decorated with golden scrolls.

The King is wearing his Admiral of the Fleet Royal Naval Number 1 Dress with cap and sword.

In the Robing Room at the House of Lords, Charles will put on the Imperial State Crown and his crimson Robe of State, which was made for his grandfather George VI’s coronation in 1937.

Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage and his partner Laure Ferrari have been pictured arriving at Parliament ahead of the King’s Speech.

Queen Alexandra’s State Coach, carrying the Imperial State Crown and the Sword of State departs Buckingham Palace

The Imperial State Crown has left Buckingham Palace as it is taken to the House of Lords.

To mark the State Opening of Parliament, a procession from Buckingham Palace to Parliament takes place as members of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment escort the King.

As part of the procession, it is usual to see the Imperial State Crown and other important items such as the Sword of State travel in carriages to Parliament.

Officials with titles such as Gold Stick, who is responsible for the command of the Royal Household troops in the procession, are also involved.

Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle is robed up ahead of the State Opening of Parliament.

Sir Keir Starmer has left No10 as he heads to the Commons for the State Opening of Parliament.

He leaves Downing Street with his wife Victoria following a 15-minute meeting with Wes Streeting earlier this morning.

He walked a short distance to a car and did not respond to questions shouted from journalists opposite.

The State Opening of Parliament and the King’s Speech will take place today on a day of pomp and pageantry in the capital.

Before King Charles makes an appearance, his royal bodyguards, known as the Yeoman of The Guard, have been conducting a ceremonial search of the cellars of the Palace of Westminster for explosives.

This is a nod to the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 in which a group of English Catholics failed to blow up the House of Lords and kill the protestant king.

An MP is also ceremonially taken hostage in Buckingham Palace while the monarch attends Parliament. This is designed to ensure the King’s safe return from Parliament.

Traditionally a Government whip known as the vice-chamberlain of the household performs this task.

The SNP will force a vote on Sir Keir Starmer’s future in an amendment to the King’s Speech, the party has announced.

New SNP Westminster leader Dave Doogan said the ‘leadership circus can’t go on any longer’ as he seeks to force Labour MPs to take a position on the Prime Minister’s job if he does not resign himself.

He said:

This farce has to end now, so parliament can focus on the issues that really matter. It’s clear the only way that can happen is for Keir Starmer to go.

If the Labour cabinet ministers don’t have the decency to do the right thing – then Parliament must.

The King’s Speech – the second under this Labour government – is expected to unveil over 35 bills.

Policies on immigration, green energy and reforms to special educational needs and disabilities (Send) schooling will be included in the speech, which will lay out the Government’s legislative priorities for the next Parliamentary session.

It will be read by the King in the House of Lords before MPs and peers and include new laws to make it easier to take action against state-backed groups such as the proscription of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.

It follows attacks on the Jewish community in London in recent months.

On immigration, legislation is expected on restricting the use of Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights, an element that guarantees the right to respect for private and family life, which some migrants who do not qualify for a visa or asylum rely on.

New laws could be mentioned that would deny appeal rights to more people and establish an independent appeal body to hear claims currently considered by judges.

Leasehold reforms are expected to be in the speech as the Government said it wants to ‘give people more control over how they live in their own homes’.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has left No10 in the last 10 minutes.

She did not say anything and just turned left to walk down Downing Street as journalists shouted questions.

Cabinet office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds has told broadcasters that MPs had not united behind a candidate to trigger a leadership contest.

He told BBC Breakfast:

There is no contest for the leadership of the Labour Party. There’s a very clear way to do that under our rules of 81 people nominating an alternative candidate. That hasn’t happened.

The contest hasn’t been triggered. We are moving on. I’m not saying yesterday wasn’t turbulent. It evidently was, but we are moving, getting on with delivery.

by Nick Candy

This is not democracy. This is farce. The constant roundabout of Prime Ministers, backstabbers, stalking horses and pretenders to the throne has made a mockery of British politics.

After a 48-hour battle to save his job, Keir Starmer is clinging on – but you can be sure he won’t last for long.

The British Government has begun to look chaotic, changing leaders with alarming frequency. If Starmer is replaced before July, we will have cycled through seven prime ministers in a decade: David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak, and Keir Starmer. The last four have been office in the last four years alone.

Four heads of government, and just one General Election. How can that possibly represent the will of the people? How can anyone expect economic prosperity and social stability when there is constant uncertainty at the top?