King Charles Opens UK Parliament, Announces 37 Policies to Transform the Nation

King Charles officially opened the UK Parliament, announcing 37 policies and laws the British government intends to advance to transform the nation, and reshaping its future.

On 13 May 2026 local time, the United Kingdom held the State Opening of Parliament ceremony, during which King Charles delivered a political agenda and outlined 37 legislative plans the government is preparing to promote.

What are the key highlights among these, and what exactly is the UK’s State Opening of Parliament? Thairath Online's special news team explains.

Understanding the "State Opening of Parliament"

The State Opening of Parliament marks the official start of the parliamentary year, setting the government's agenda including policies, plans, and legislation it aims to pursue. It is the only regular occasion when all three components of the UK Parliament — the Sovereign, (the King), the House of Lords, and the House of Commons, (the elected representatives) — meet together.

This ancient ceremony dates back to the 16th century, with the current form established after the reconstruction of the Palace of Westminster in 1852, following a great fire in 1834. It is held on the first day of a new parliamentary session or shortly after a general election. The most recent ceremony was on 7 November 2023, opening the 2023-2024 session and marking the first state occasion of King Charles III’s reign. King Charles III presided over the ceremony.

The event begins with a royal procession from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster, where the King enters through the Sovereign's Entrance and proceeds to the Robing Room to don the Imperial State Crown, the UK's most significant crown jewel symbolizing the monarchy, along with ceremonial robes.

The King then leads the procession through the Royal Gallery, attended by about 600 dignitaries, to the House of Lords chamber.

Following this, the Black Rod, a senior official of the House of Lords, walks from the Lords chamber to the House of Commons to summon Members of Parliament (MPs) to attend.

The ceremony begins with MPs shutting the doors in Black Rod’s face, a tradition dating back to the English Civil War symbolizing the Commons’ independence from the monarchy.

Black Rod then knocks three times, the doors open, and the MPs follow him to the House of Lords chamber, standing at the Bar of the House, to listen to the King’s speech. The King delivers the speech known as

"The King’s Speech," which, despite its title, is written by the government. Afterward, the King departs, the new parliamentary session begins, and Parliament resumes its regular work. Members of both Houses debate the contents of the speech and vote on a

"formal address in reply to the speech." Each House then continues debating the legislative agenda for several days, divided by policy area. The House of Commons usually votes to endorse the speech, but the House of Lords often does not. .

King Charles Announces 37 New Laws

In his speech on 13 May, King Charles outlined a government legislative program comprising 37 bills that the Cabinet aims to pass in the upcoming parliamentary session, including eight bills previously introduced. Key highlights include:

Economic and business legislation

• Steel Industry Bill (nationalization): Gives the minister power to transfer British Steel into full state ownership after a public interest test.
• European Partnership Bill: Includes controversial new powers to fast-track legislation for planned agreements with the European Union.
• Regulatory Reform for Growth Bill: Allows pilot projects promoting innovation in areas such as defense technology and AI-controlled ships.
• Competition Reform Bill: Aims to speed up regulatory reviews by competition authorities and reduce financial services regulations.
• Small Business Protection Bill (late payments): Increases penalty interest for companies delaying payments to suppliers.

Housing sector legislation

• Property Ownership Reform Bill: Bans long leasehold arrangements for new flats in England and Wales and caps ground rents at £250 (approx. 11,000 baht) per year.
• Social Housing Recovery Bill: Exempts newly built social homes in England from the Right to Buy scheme for 35 years and enhances protections for social tenants facing domestic violence.
• Remediation Bill: Empowers authorities to require building material manufacturers to share costs of removing unsafe cladding.
  
  

Transport legislation

• Rail and Passenger Rights Bill: Grants special powers to monitor passenger rights and consolidates 14 service provider websites.
• Taxi and Private Hire Vehicles Bill: Establishes a national database of all licensed taxis and private hire vehicles.
• Highway Finance Bill: Adopts nuclear project funding models for new road projects in England.
• Northern Powerhouse Rail Bill: Details a new rail line from Manchester to Millington via Manchester Airport.
• Civil Aviation Bill: Creates new powers to manage aircraft landing and takeoff times at airports.
  
  

Police and crime legislation

• Police Reform Bill: Plans to create larger police forces in England and Wales and establish a national unit to investigate the "most serious crimes."
• Court Modernization Bill: Seeks to reduce jury trials in England and Wales, a move expected to face public opposition.
  
  

Immigration and asylum legislation

• Immigration and Asylum Bill: Makes it easier to revoke refugee status and restricts taxpayer-funded support for asylum seekers.
  
  

Health legislation

• NHS Reform Bill: Abolishes the independent body managing NHS England and enables access to patient records through the NHS app.
• Gender Transition Treatment Bill: Promises to ban methods aimed at changing individuals' sexual orientation or gender identity.
  
  

Energy and environment legislation

• Energy Independence Bill: Sets new energy efficiency standards for rental homes and focuses on helping low-income households with energy bills.
• Electricity Producers Tax Bill: Increases taxes on "excess profits" made by electricity producers.
• Clean Water Bill: Merges regulatory functions of multiple bodies, including Ofwat, to end fragmented oversight of the water industry.

Security legislation

• State Threat Response Bill: Grants new powers to ban groups linked to foreign states, such as Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
• New National Security Bill: Makes it a criminal offense to share content that "glorifies, downplays, or normalizes violence," a response to misinformation around the Southport stabbing that sparked riots and threats against non-white communities.

Digital and technology legislation

• Digital Access Services Bill: Enhances powers to establish a voluntary digital ID system for accessing government services.
• Cybersecurity and Resilience Bill: Subjects data centers to UK cybersecurity reporting regulations.

Governance legislation

• People’s Representation Bill: Plans to limit foreign political donations and lower the voting age to 16.
• Peerage Removal Bill: Grants powers to remove noble titles from members of the House of Lords.

Other legislation

• Education for All Bill: Reforms support allocation for children with special needs in schools across England.
• Ticket Scalping Ban Bill: Limits service fees and makes reselling tickets above face value illegal.
• Overnight Visitor Fee Bill: Empowers local mayors to impose a "tourist tax" on overnight stays.

Policies or measures not mentioned in the speech

• Chagos Islands: The sovereignty transfer law to Mauritius was suspended after opposition from Donald Trump.
• Welfare Reform: No mention was made of bills related to social welfare reform.
• Euthanasia: The government has not allocated time for legislation to legalize euthanasia.

Sources:bbc,parliament.uk,BritishEmbassyBangkok