LONDON, UK – The newly elected Labour government has pledged to remove nearly 100 hereditary lawmakers from the House of Lords as part of its initial steps towards broader reforms of parliament’s unelected upper chamber.
“Measures to modernise the constitution will be introduced including House of Lords reform to remove the right of hereditary peers to sit and vote in the Lords,” stated King Charles III during the King’s Speech on Wednesday. This traditional ceremony, filled with pomp, outlines the government’s legislative agenda for the next year.
Though delivered by the monarch, the King’s Speech is written by the government. This address marks Labour’s first such speech since it last held power in 2010, following a decisive victory against the Conservative Party earlier this month.
Donning the diamond-studded Imperial State Crown and a Royal Navy outfit, King Charles presented Labour’s proposals from a golden throne in the House of Lords, having traveled from Buckingham Palace in a carriage procession.
The speech highlighted over 35 bills, including measures to enforce public spending rules and implement an independent assessment of future budgets. This aims to prevent a repeat of former Prime Minister Liz Truss’s 2022 mini-budget that adversely affected the economy.
The proposed legislation includes the establishment of a wealth fund to attract investment into the UK and a publicly owned entity to promote clean energy by 2030.
Labour’s return to government signals a significant shift in UK politics, with the party focusing on constitutional modernization and economic revitalization.