In his introduction to the King's Speech in the Commons, Sir Keir Starmer vowed to “end the status quo that has failed working people.” The Prime Minister made the pledge in a video shared on social media, which spliced together footage of his speech alongside images of him meeting voters.
The clips also show the Prime Minister at the despatch box and at his desk in Downing Street, once again reaffirming his decision to stay on as leader of the Labour Party.
Starmer's Vision for the Future
In the Commons, Starmer said: “It’s a King’s speech for the young, whose gifts lie in their hands, who work hard, want their talents to be recognised and just want an opportunity in their community.”
The Prime Minister added: “A King’s speech for the children who, under the party opposite, had to go to school without breakfast, hungry, cold and tired when they should be focused on their learning.”
Regarding the King's Speech itself, Starmer described it as setting a “hopeful course.” He elaborated: “This King’s Speech will make sure no child is left behind because everyone has something to contribute to the success of this nation. And every child must succeed if we’re to build a stronger, fairer Britain.”
He continued: “That is how we tear down the status quo preserved by the party opposite, a status quo that failed working people, a status quo that left Britain’s economy exposed, a status quo that made our country weak.”
Starmer also warned against those who would exploit frustration: “There are some in this country, some even in this House, that would feed the frustration with that status quo into a politics of grievance and division. This King’s Speech sets a different course, a more hopeful course, a course that sees the conflict in Iran, a war on two fronts, not as something to wring our hands about, but as an opportunity we must take to shape our country’s future, to end the status quo that has failed working people, to build a stronger, fairer Britain. That is what this King’s Speech delivers.”
Conservative Response
In the Commons, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch told Labour it was time to “get serious” and deliver. She said: “Time and again I have offered the Prime Minister support to pass difficult legislation. Time and again he has turned it down. It might be too late for him, but it’s not too late for his successor. It is time to get serious, it is time to deliver. That is what the British public expect, that is what the Conservative Party will do.”
