| 2023 State Opening of Parliament | |
|---|---|
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| Legislative body | Parliament of the United Kingdom |
| Meeting place | Palace of Westminster |
| Date | 7 November 2023 |
| Government | Sunak ministry |
A State Opening of the Parliament of the United Kingdom took place on 7 November 2023 when King Charles III opened the fourth session of the Parliament elected in 2019, which was the last before the 2024 general election. Charles III delivered the King's Speech, his first as monarch, and set out the UK government's legislative programme for the following parliamentary session.
Along with Queen Camilla, Charles III travelled to Westminster in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach and was accompanied by the Household Cavalry, the first time a full military procession had taken place for the ceremony since before the COVID-19 pandemic. At Westminster, the King read the 1,223 word speech from the throne in the House of Lords, the first time a King's Speech had been presented to Parliament since November 1951. The speech was then debated by both Houses of Parliament. 2023 also marked Rishi Sunak's first State Opening of Parliament since his election as Conservative party leader and appointment as UK Prime Minister a year earlier.
Keen to showcase Conservative Party policy ahead of a general election and present himself as the "change candidate", Sunak set out an agenda of 21 pieces of legislation, with crime a key focus. Bills included the Sentencing Bill which sought to toughen the rules governing sentencing in England and Wales and a Criminal Justice Bill that would require people convicted of a crime to attend court for sentencing. There was also legislation to introduce a phased ban on smoking in England, to award annual licences for oil and gas projects in the North Sea and to create an independent regulator for English football. The government would also "address inflation and the drivers of low growth". The speech received a generally lukewarm response. While some policies, such as the football regulator and smoking ban, were welcomed, commentators were less enthusiastic. Gordon Rayner of The Telegraph described Sunak as having "served up meagre rations of innovation and large helpings of more of the same", while BBC News's Chris Mason suggested it was "iterative, rather than explosive".