The new UK government will “play its part” in trying to secure long-term peace and security in the Middle East, and is “committed” to a two-state solution with “a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state,” King Charles III has told parliament.
Delivering the first King’s Speech from the Throne under a Labour government in 14 years, King Charles confirmed Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s aim to make the UK a central player in efforts to spark a renewed peace process between Israel and the Palestinians.
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King Charles III delivers his speech to Parliament on Wednesday
(Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth / AFP)
Among the 35 bills and draft bills unveiled on Wednesday was a return of the Holocaust Memorial Bill, introduced into the Commons under the previous Tory government.
The bill again pledged to build a national Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre “in the heart of our democracy” in the controversial Victoria Tower Gardens site.
In the “key fact” notes section accompanying the bill, it is noted that the Metropolitan Police recorded an “over 1,000% rise in antisemitic incidents following Hamas’ attack on Israel last year, compared to the previous year.”
The bill will also authorize expenditure on the construction of the long-promised memorial and learning center, and attempts to override restrictions preventing the use of the site, close to parliament. The key facts section also suggests the planned memorial will “take up approximately 7.5% of the park.”
As expected the previous government’s attempt to prevent local councils from boycotting Israel did not feature in the King’s Speech, after the anti-BDS proposals were subjected to challenges from MPs and peers from all parties during the last parliament.
The King’s Speech also included Labour’s plan to remove VAT exemption on private schools.
Labour will attempt to “take the brakes off Britain,” Starmer said ahead of presenting his government’s King’s Speech.
The new government is set to present a “packed” legislative agenda focused on improving living standards by driving economic growth, the first of the prime minister’s five “missions for national renewal,” he added.
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Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and former prime Minister Rishi Sunak arrive in the chamber ahead of the King's Speech
(Photo: Aaron Chown / Reuters )
Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s State Opening of Parliament, the prime minister said: “Now is the time to take the brakes off Britain.
“For too long people have been held back, their paths determined by where they came from, not their talents and hard work.
“I am determined to create wealth for people up and down the country. It is the only way our country can progress, and my Government is focused on supporting that aspiration.”