King’s Speech

Lord McInnes of Kilwinning Excerpts

Tuesday 7th November 2023 Lords Chamber

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[Lord McInnes of Kilwinning]

That an humble Address be presented to His Majesty as follows:

“Most Gracious Sovereign—We, Your Majesty’s most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Lords Spiritual and Temporal in Parliament assembled, beg leave to thank Your Majesty for the most gracious Speech which was addressed to both Houses of Parliament”.

[Lord McInnes of Kilwinning (Con)]

My Lords, it is of course a great honour and privilege to have been asked to propose the humble Address to His Majesty this afternoon. It was with a sense of trepidation that my noble friend Lady Stedman-Scott and I approached the Chief Whips’ Office, having been asked to come and see the Chief Whip for what had euphemistically been described as “a chat”. We left knowing we had been given today’s important task—and no relaxation over Prorogation for us. The Chief Whip did have the good sense to ask this dour, Presbyterian Scot to be the proposer—traditionally, the less gag-filled part of the proceedings. “Not many jokes there”, I guess was the assessment. It does, of course, allow for my noble friend Lady Stedman-Scott to pick up any missteps I should make, and to ensure we all laugh so much as to forget them. I am reminded of the feeling when proposing the toast to the lassies at a Burns supper, and realising that the razor wit that is my noble friend Lady Goldie was being given the right of reply.

Today is of course an historic day, as we have received from His Majesty the first King’s Speech of the new reign. His Majesty spoke movingly this morning of the great loss we all suffered in the passing of Her late Majesty. I am sure that, like me, all noble Lords marvelled at the stoic determination Their Majesties and the wider Royal Family demonstrated in continuing to serve our nation in their time of intense grief. Their Majesties’ continued public service is the very best of legacies from Her late Majesty.

Constitutional monarchy provides this country with the stability that so many others crave, and that was why we witnessed the continuity of centuries of tradition this morning. The national pride and excitement around Their Majesties’ Coronation in May provided evidence, if any was needed, of the enormous affection in which they are held. It is also very appropriate to thank Black Rod and all her staff, including our excellent doorkeepers, for once again ensuring that this great occasion passed as magnificently as it always does.

The occasion of the King’s first Speech as monarch gave me cause to investigate the first Speech from the Throne to noble Lords of some of his predecessors. It seemed appropriate to begin with George III, not only because we now have the addition to your Lordships’ House of his excellent biographer, my noble friend Lord Roberts, but because it would be remiss of me, as a unionist from Scotland, not to repeat his declaration in his first King’s Speech that, as the first Hanoverian monarch born in Britain, he gloried in the name of Britain.

However, it was the continuity of policy problems that face our politicians that struck me as I read these first Speeches from the Throne; reshuffles or no shuffles, the issues facing our country remain largely the same. The Chancellor could perhaps take note of the strict economy called for, rather surprisingly, by the non-penny-pinching, former Prince Regent George IV, as well as the need to curb inflation in Her late Majesty’s first Queen’s Speech in 1952.

For the Home Secretary: William IV looked forward to improving municipal policing—perhaps there are some good tips for the Met there—while wishing that nothing interferes with people making known their grievances. That is now too late for the Online Safety Act, but I am sure that noble Lords will take a deep interest in the media, digital and artificial intelligence Bills that will come before us.

For Michael Gove: leasehold reform was announced in 1952—and, I guess, many, many times since. It is never an easy topic, not least in your Lordships’ House. For Kemi Badenoch: Queen Victoria was looking forward to trade deals with Peru and Bolivia—although there was nothing on CPTPP.

Of particular interest to noble Lords in 1911 was the intention of George V’s Government to bring forward the Parliament Act. One suspects that House of Lords reform may make the occasional appearance in future Speeches from the Throne—but nothing too drastic.

On social issues, my noble friend Lady Shackleton and the noble Baroness, Lady Deech, will find divorce reform in George VI’s first King’s Speech. Another social issue, in Edward VII’s first King’s Speech, reducing drunkenness in public houses, is perhaps a more difficult topic to deal with—I am not sure which lucky Cabinet member would look after that—but there was nothing on smoking and vaping bans in any previous Speeches.

We take great pride in our ability to add long-range perspective to our scrutiny. Perhaps we shall require regular fillips from historic Speeches from the Throne in future. Perhaps, to take it a step forward, in this year before a general election, we should encourage those lucky people—the authors of those much-vaunted documents, the manifestos—merely to crib things from previous Speeches from the Throne on the basis that policy imperatives never really change.

It would be negligent of me not to mention that, for a party close to my heart—the toiling and disintegrating Scottish National Party, which is sadly not yet represented in your Lordships’ House—there was no Scottish independence Bill in this morning’s gracious Speech. Perhaps the party’s ever-changing policy position on the subject has something to do with that. We can look forward to its next contortion—a proposed electoral franchise based on ownership of camper-vans, perhaps.

The King’s Speech debate, which will follow, will properly scrutinise a programme for government that will affect every citizen of our great country. The purpose of many of the Bills will command the support of this House, but we may all have a very occasional disagreement on the detail. As noble Lords consider and scrutinise the Bills contained, I am positive that we will, as Queen Victoria implored of the upper House in her first Queen’s Speech, treat all Bills with true impartiality. How could anyone ever think that we would do anything differently? It gives me great pleasure to beg to move the Motion for an humble Address to His Majesty.