King Charles Sets Out Rishi Sunak’s Plans: ‘Changing UK For The Better’

King Charles III said that the UK government will make the “difficult but necessary long-term decisions to change this country for the better”.

“It is mindful of the legacy of service and devotion to this country set by my beloved mother, the late Queen, that I deliver this, the first King’s Speech in over 70 years. The impact of Covid and the war in Ukraine have created significant long-term challenges for the United Kingdom. That is why my Government’s priority is to make the difficult but necessary long-term decisions to change this country for the better,” he said as he delivered his first King’s Speech to the House of Lords setting out UK PM Rishi Sunak’s legislative plans for the new session at the parliamentary opening ceremony.

King Charles arrived at the Palace of Westminster for the State Opening of Parliament with Queen Camilla. This also marks the monarch’s last speech before a national election and Rishi Sunak’s first chance to set out major legislative plans since he became prime minister just over a year ago. The last session of Parliament opened in May 2022, when Boris Johnson was UK’s prime minister and Queen Elizabeth II sat on the throne.

On inflation in the country, King Charles said, “My ministers’ focus is on increasing economic growth and safeguarding the health and security of the British people for generations to come. My Government will continue to take action to bring down inflation, to ease the cost of living for families and help businesses fund new jobs and investment. My ministers will support the Bank of England to return inflation to target by taking responsible decisions on spending and borrowing. These decisions will help household finances, reduce public sector debt, and safeguard the financial security of the country.”

The UK government’s education reforms will “strengthen education for the long term”, the King said, continuing, “My ministers will strengthen education for the long term. Steps will be taken to ensure young people have the knowledge and skills to succeed, through the introduction of the Advanced British Standard that will bring technical and academic routes into a single qualification.”