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King Charles Sets Reform Agenda; MP Phillips Resigns

5/13/2026

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Summary

Story summary

King Charles III will deliver the King’s Speech at the State Opening of Parliament on 13 May 2026, outlining 35 bills.
The agenda proposes asylum reform, lease-hold rights, a wealth fund, voting age 16 and a candor duty for officials.
Jess Phillips resigned, saying a more confrontational approach is needed, as Buckingham Palace asked Number 10 to keep the monarch out of debate while MPs will debate the speech after the King leaves.

History

Historical Context

The 1911 Parliament Act, pushed through by Prime Minister H. H. Asquith and King George V, stripped the House of Lords of its unlimited veto, restricting its ability to delay non-money bills to a maximum of two years. This shift cemented Commons supremacy and created the convention that monarchs, such as today’s King Charles III, deliver a neutral State Opening, leaving legislative negotiation to elected bodies.

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Story summary

King Charles III will deliver the King’s Speech at the State Opening of Parliament on 13 May 2026, outlining 35 bills.
The agenda proposes asylum reform, lease-hold rights, a wealth fund, voting age 16 and a candor duty for officials.
Jess Phillips resigned, saying a more confrontational approach is needed, as Buckingham Palace asked Number 10 to keep the monarch out of debate while MPs will debate the speech after the King leaves.

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