King Charles III declared Tuesday in his maiden speech to the Parliament his government will crack down on crime and illegal migration.
Charles set out his government’s agenda for the next parliamentary year at the State Opening of Parliament (SOP) in Westminster.
“My government will act to keep communities safe from crime, antisocial behavior, terrorism and illegal migration. A bill will be brought forward to ensure tougher sentences for the most serious offenders and increase the confidence of victims,” he said during his speech.
King Charles also paid tribute to his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.
“It is mindful of a legacy of service and devotion to this country set by my beloved queen, that I deliver this, the first King’s speech in over 70 years,” he said.
His grandfather George VI’s speech in November 1951 was the last SOP speech by a king, BBC noted.
King Charles acknowledged the impact of COVID and the war in Ukraine on the U.K.’s well-being. He also announced the government’s plans to “return inflation to target by taking responsible decisions on spending and borrowing,” “support the future licensing of new oil and gas fields” and tackle “anti-Semitism and ensuring that the Holocaust is never forgotten.”
He also proposed wide-ranging education reforms and the restriction of underage smoking, two personal goals of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, per BBC. (RELATED: Biden Meets With King Charles III After Missing Coronation)
Sunak‘s government wrote the speech, the BBC noted in a video report. The 1,223-word speech was the longest by a monarch since 2005, per the Evening Standard.
Sunak and Leader of the Opposition, Sir Keir Starmer, chatted and shared a laugh as they proceeded to the SOP, the BBC video showed. After the address, however, Starmer eviscerated the speech as “an exercise in economic miserabilism” and having “no concern for the national interest, wallowing in a pessimism that says the hard road to a better future isn’t for Britain,” The Guardian reported.
The U.K.’s next general elections must take place by Jan. 28, 2025.