LIVE: MPs to debate King’s Speech as Charles delivers Starmer’s agenda

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

by David Wilcock, Deputy Political Editor

Keir Starmer is to press on with dragging Brexit Britain closer to the EU with a new law allowing ministers to sideline Parliament and introduce Brussels’ rules under agreements that could cost taxpayers £1billion a year.

The King’s Speech today includes plans for a European Partnership Bill that explicitly aims to ‘strengthen ties with the European Union’, with the government insisting such movement is backed by the British people.

It says the bill will ‘tear down barriers to trade’ and boost jobs by smoothing the path of agreements for food and drink exports and electricity and emissions trading worth more than £5billion a year.

But the bill will also allow single market rules to be adopted through what is known as secondary legislation, limiting the ability of the Commons to scrutinise them.

MPs can either approve or reject secondary legislation, but they cannot seek to amend it as with regular legislation and they would not vote on every single change.

Unveiling the bill the government said: ‘UK citizens back a closer relationship with the European Union where it benefits the national interest.’

The King and Queen have departed from the Lords chamber after a speech that lasted around 11 minutes and 39 seconds.

The monarch unveiled a package of 35 Bills – and several draft Bills – which includes moves to cosy up to the EU, as well as boost the push for Net Zero

Legislation will be introduced to ‘unlock the benefits of airport expansion’, to speed up road-building, while a bill to nationalise British Steel will also be tabled.

The King also said the government will focus on supporting the armed forces and their families with a bill which ‘improves the service justice system’.

Wes Streeting, in his first public comments since the meeting with Sir Keir Starmer, suggested he was focused on his job as Health Secretary.

See his X post below:

Health Secretary Wes Streeting appeared to be smiling as he stood in the House of Commons during the state opening of Parliament.

Mr Streeting could then be seen speaking to other MPs as they filed out of the Commons to attend the King’s Speech in the House of Lords.

Sir Keir Starmer could be seen sitting next to Shabana Mahmood in the Commons for the State Opening of Parliament.

The Home Secretary has reportedly told the Prime Minister to consider his position.

The Prime Minister was also seen smiling as he made small talk with Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch as he made his way to the Lords.

The King said his Government will introduce new legislation to ‘strengthen ties with the European Union’.

Addressing Parliament, Charles said:

My Government believes that improved trading relations are vital for the United Kingdom’s economic security, for significantly raising economic growth, and for lowering prices for working people.

My Ministers will introduce legislation to take advantage of new trading opportunities, including a Bill to strengthen ties with the European Union. My Government will also support the economic security of British businesses.

He said legislation will be introduced to tackle late payments and ‘to reduce the burden of unnecessary regulation through innovation’.

The European Partnership Bill will provide a framework to adopt EU rules where the Government strikes deals with Brussels.

The Government will legislate in response to the ‘horrific attack’ in Southport in 2024, the King said.

He said:

They will respond to the horrific attack in Southport with measures to protect the British people from extreme violence, and honour the victims, the injured and their families.

The Government said the National Security Bill will seek to clamp down on extremist threats to the country, criminalise harmful online content and make planning mass attacks a specific criminal offence.

Outlining the priorities of Sir Keir Starmer’s Government in his speech at the state opening of Parliament, the King said the UK faced an ‘increasingly dangerous and volatile world’.

He said:

My Lords and members of the House of Commons.

An increasingly dangerous and volatile world threatens the United Kingdom, with the conflict in the Middle East only the most recent example. Every element of the nation’s energy, defence and economic security will be tested.

My Government will respond to this world with strength and aim to create a country that is fair for all. My ministers will take decisions that protect the energy, defence and economic security of the United Kingdom for the long-term.

They will defend the British values of decency, tolerance and respect for difference under our common flag, and they will harness the potential of the pride felt across this country for its communities.

The King has started his speech and says the Government will take ‘urgent action to tackle antisemitism and ensure all communities feel safe’.

Black Rod Ed Davis, the senior Lords officer, has arrived at the Commons to summon MPs to listen to the King’s Speech.

Per tradition, the door to the chamber was slammed in Black Rod’s face, who must bang the door three times before being given permission to enter.

As he banged on the door, a backbench MP shouted: ‘Not now Andy’.

Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle led the procession of MPs and was followed by Sir Keir Starmer and Tory leader Kemi Badenoch who was seen chatting to the Prime Minister.

by Adam Pogrund

Keir Starmer showed ‘inner pain’ and looked like a ‘boy being being taken off for his first day at school’ as he clutched his wife’s hand on his way to the King’s Speech, according to a body language expert.

The beleaguered Prime Minister did not to respond to questions from journalists as he entered a car alongside his wife Victoria and grasped tightly onto her as they marched out of No10 on Wednesday morning.

Sir Keir’s exit came after holding brief talks with Wes Streeting inside Downing Street earlier this morning.

The Health Secretary appeared grim-faced as he emerged from No10 just 15 minutes after walking through the front door.

The PM left shortly after and ‘failed’ to signal ‘resilience’ as he only managed ‘a very brittle and performative-looking thin smile’, said Judi James.

The body language expert told the Daily Mail: ‘Starmer’s exit from being holed up in No10 saw him clutching his wife’s hand in the tightest of clasps, with the over-long sleeves of his jacket hiding his fist, making him look like a new boy being taken off for his first day at school.

Anti-monarchy protesters held up signs asking ‘did you know?’ – referring to the Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor scandal – as the King’s carriage drove towards Parliament.

Yellow placards had individual black letters that spelt out the question when held aloft at about 11.15am on Parliament Street.

Organising group Republic is demanding the monarch be replaced by an elected head of state.

Charles was being escorted from Buckingham Palace to Parliament by the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment ahead of the King’s Speech.