'Government falling apart as King's Speech full of holes and diluted promises'

07 November 2023 , 21:05

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Charles sitting in the House of Lords during the State Opening of Parliament (Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

A General Election can’t come soon enough when the weakening UK Conservative Government of Rishi Sunak is falling apart before our very eyes.

Devoid of good ideas and energy, the lacklustre King’s Speech was full of holes and diluted promises on areas such as leasehold reform. The continuity programme unveiled by a Charles III who surely deserved a better address at the first state opening of Parliament since he inherited the crown will entrench widespread despair.

True, a few measures are welcome including requiring serious criminals to hear their sentences and the impact their brutality had on families, a justice initiative the Daily Mirror campaigned for.

But the overall direction is wrong and slow, uninspiring and indeed dispiriting. Nobody knows how long Sunak will desperately cling to high office, perhaps even the Prime Minister himself. We may be allowed to deliver our verdict at the ballot box next May, October or November. Legally the day with destiny could be as late as January 2025.

When that election comes, this pitiful King’s Speech will be another nail in the Tory coffin and a cause of hope for Keir Starmer and Labour and other opposition parties.

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Good on Wayne Rooney talking publicly about his heavy drinking early in a glittering football career when the England, Manchester United and Everton star’s honesty will help others. It won’t have been easy for Birmingham City’s current manager to open up about an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, a problem too many people try to face privately rather than seeking help.

So we applaud Rooney’s courage and encourage others to talk about problems and look for support rather than fighting lonely, difficult battles with booze. Overcoming his embarrassment is a tribute to Rooney and wife Coleen who has been at his side from teenage years.

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