A baroness’s mobile phone ringing in the respectful silence of Britain's House of Lords before the monarch read out the Labour government’s legislation was the only break from tradition in the King’s Speech.
Once the misdemeanour had been neutralised by the blushing peer, King Charles III, with a hint of irritation, ordered “my Lords, pray be seated” as the assembly gathered for a speech that promised, under Keir Starmer, to take the brakes off Britain.
This most important message was sent out in the foreword to the speech by the Prime Minister who declared war on populism, not only in Britain but potentially to Donald Trump in America, and beyond.
He warned that “the snake oil charm of populism may sound seductive” but it would only lead to a “dead end of further division and greater disappointment”.
“The era of politics as performance and self-interest above service is over,” he added.
UK renewed
Mr Starmer also spoke of a “shared mission of national renewal” as he promised a raft of laws in particular to stimulate house building around cities and a new industrial strategy to “invest in cleaner, cheaper British energy”.
Railways would be brought back into public ownership and a new Great British Energy company would be set up in Scotland with a focus on renewables, including building onshore wind farms.
Mr Starmer, on the back of a landslide election victory, is pushing through a heavy agenda of 39 bills that may well herald a renewal of the dragging British economy.
Among the priorities laid out by King Charles was a push to resolve the Israel-Gaza crisis and recognition of the Palestinian state.
“My government will play its part in trying to secure long-term peace and security in the Middle East,” he said. “It is committed to a two-state solution with a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state.”
Black Rod summons
Before the king spoke, MPs from the House of Commons had to be summoned to attend by the Black Rod, a senior parliamentary official.
According to tradition and as a mark of the supremacy of the elected body, the door to the Commons chamber was slammed in her face, forcing her to strike it three times to gain entry.
The wooden entry bears the scars of such strikes with a centuries-old divot.
In a sometimes awkward moment for arch political opponents, MPs from both sides of the house match up with their opposite number and walk from the green carpets of the Commons to the luxurious red of the Lords.
On this occasion, Mr Starmer spoke amiably with the former premier Rishi Sunak, continuing to do so as they entered the Lords. This perhaps reflected Mr Sunak’s public statement that he would not unnecessarily “oppose” legislation put forward by the government.
National renewal
The king's words heralded the start of the ceremony dating back to the 14th century in which the monarch reads out the legislation that in modern politics is dictated to him by the elected government of the day. Hard choices lay behind nearly every proposed new bill.
Rather than deporting illegal immigrants to Rwanda – a Conservative scheme that cost the taxpayer £270 million ($350 million) – Britain will introduce a new Border Force Command made up of police, MI5 officers and border guards to crack down on small boat crossings.
There was also confirmation of plans to impose VAT on private school fees to fund new teachers in state classrooms.
Other measures included:
· Accelerating the building of homes and infrastructure by simplifying the approval process for critical infrastructure projects.
· Renationalising rail services by transferring train operations to a public-sector operator as existing contracts expire.
· Establishing state-owned energy production firm Great British Energy with £8.3 billion of public money across the Parliament.
· Establishing an independent football regulator to address clubs’ financial sustainability and approve stadium sales or relocation.
Hostage MP
It was an act steeped in history that marks the ancient event to formerly open parliament. In 1605, the Guy Fawkes Gunpower Plot nearly curtailed proceedings before it was discovered.
Its legacy today is a traditional search by Yeoman of the Guard of the cellars immediately below the golden thrones in the Lords.
It is followed by taking an MP “hostage” to Buckingham Palace to ensure the king’s safe return from parliament.
His voice possibly weakened by his treatment for cancer, the king seemed hesitant but flawlessly read the speech handed to him by Shabana Mahmood, the new Lord Chancellor.
Dressed in grey wig and black robes etched with gold, the first Muslim woman in the post got on bended knee and gracefully handed the speech to the king.
She would have seen the entry of an array of resplendent heralds, pages and “pursuivants” (junior officer at arms), followed by the Sword of State and the Cap of Maintenance, the symbols of royal authority, carried before the king.
As the MPs squeezed into the Lords chamber, with the current and former prime minister still chatting, the king outlined what lay ahead that, as Mr Starmer wrote in reference to chaos and mishaps of the last years of Conservative rule, “returns politics to serious government”.
A new law will be introduced to support sustainable aviation fuel production, as well as one for greater protection at public performances to avoid a repeat of the Manchester Arena atrocity in 2017.
Britain’s commitment to Nato “will remain unshakeable,” the king said, adding the country will maintain a “strong” military, including the nuclear deterrent.
With the speech complete, Ms Mahmood once again approached the monarch to retrieve the document and return it to the formal purse.
For the justice secretary who only a few weeks ago was suffering grim abuse from pro-Gaza activists on the streets of her Birmingham constituency, the ranks of ermine-clad peers and the crowned king and queen before her must have provided a marked and rewarding contrast.
