King Charles III waves from his State Carriage during the royal procession bringing him and Queen Camilla from Buckingham Palace to Westminster on Wednesday for the State Opening of Parliament. His Imperial State Crown, worn to deliver his King's Speech, was transported in a separate carriage protected by the Sovereign’s Escort of the Household Cavalry. Photo by Tolga Akmen/EPA
May 13 (UPI) -- King Charles III set out the British government's legislative program at the State Opening of Parliament on Wednesday, focusing on expediting new agreements on closer U.K.-EU economic ties, tackling the cost of living, boosting defense AI and tech innovation and easing financial sector regulation.
The king's 17-minute speech in the House of Lords referenced 37 bills in total, including legislation to renationalize British Steel, a Competition Reform Bill to fast-track reviews by the competition watchdog and a bill to help small businesses by hiking the interest suppliers can charge clients that fail to pay on time.
Charles opened his address with the geopolitical situation, saying Britain faced threats from an "increasingly dangerous and volatile world," with the conflict in the Middle East the most recent example, and warned every "element of the nation's energy, defense and economic security" would be challenged.
