King Charles Delivers King's Speech Amid Political Turmoil for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer

King Charles III delivered the King's Speech to Parliament on May 13, 2026, outlining the UK government's legislative agenda as Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces scrutiny over leadership and government stability amid nervous bond markets. The speech includes emergency legislation to nationalise British Steel in Scunthorpe, which employs 2,700 people and has cost taxpayers nearly £400 million under current supervision after negotiations with Chinese owner Jingye failed. Major initiatives include a northern rail investment plan with a Liverpool-Manchester high-speed route not starting until after 2030, an Energy Independence Bill banning new North Sea oil and gas licenses, and a European Partnership Bill enabling realignment with EU standards on food and energy. The agenda also features housing reforms including a £250 ground rent cap by 2028 and commonhold tenure by 2029, plus police restructuring that would create a National Police Service and eliminate Police and Crime Commissioners introduced in 2012.

Northern rail investment plans

• ▪The UK government's northern rail investment scheme involves adapting the existing High Speed Rail (Crewe-Manchester) bill, which was originally proposed in 2022 by the Conservatives before being put before parliament in 2024
• ▪The UK government's northern rail investment plan includes a new high-speed route between Liverpool and Manchester via Warrington and Manchester Airport
• ▪Construction on the UK government's northern rail investment plan is not expected to start until after 2030

British Steel nationalisation

• ▪The UK government took operating control of British Steel in April 2025 to prevent furnaces running out of fuel
• ▪The UK Insolvency Service ran British Steel and underwrote its losses after the company collapsed in 2019, costing taxpayers £600 million over a nine-month period
• ▪The UK government's current supervision regime of British Steel has cost nearly £400 million
• ▪The King's Speech on May 13, 2026 contains emergency legislation to nationalise British Steel, which is based in Scunthorpe and employs 2,700 people
• ▪Negotiations between the UK government and Jingye, the Chinese owner of British Steel, to invest in new operations alongside government support hit a dead end

Green energy infrastructure acceleration

• ▪The UK Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will add firms supplying and running electric vehicle charging points and home heating appliances, as well as data centres, to regulatory scrutiny
• ▪The UK Energy Independence Bill includes a ban on new oil and gas exploration licenses in the North Sea
• ▪The UK Energy Independence Bill includes plans to weaken the link between gas prices and electricity prices

Leasehold reform timeline

• ▪Under the UK Social Housing Renewal Bill, newly built social housing will be exempt from Right to Buy for 35 years
• ▪A £250 cap on ground rents in the UK is expected in 2028
• ▪The UK government's new model of tenure known as commonhold is expected to be available in 2029
• ▪Councils and social landlords in the UK have sold off more than two million homes at discounted rates since the Right to Buy scheme was introduced in the 1980s
• ▪Under the UK Social Housing Renewal Bill, a tenant won't be able to buy a home under Right to Buy until they have lived in it for 10 years

EU regulatory realignment

• ▪The UK NHS Modernisation Bill contains provisions for winding up NHS England and combining its functions with the Department of Health and Social Care
• ▪Under the UK Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, fines for companies that fail to comply with rules will be based on turnover
• ▪King Charles III delivered the King's Speech to Parliament on May 13, 2026, setting out the UK government's law-making plans

Police force restructuring

• ▪The UK government's police reform plan would end Police and Crime Commissioners, which were introduced by the coalition government in 2012