King Charles III Wednesday presented the UK government’s legislative plans to Parliament amid British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s efforts to retain his position, the Associated Press reported.
Starmer has, meanwhile, warned his ministers and MPs that a Labour leadership contest could result in “chaos” as speculations that Health Secretary Wes Streeting is planning to launch a leadership bid on Thursday grew stronger, the BBC reported.
The contest follows a political crisis triggered by the local and regional election results, where the Labour Party has lost hundreds of council seats, while the right-wing Reform UK made significant gains, putting the UK Prime Minister and the ruling Labour Party in a difficult position.
What did the King announce?
King Charles, sharing the legislative programme, underlined that the UK’s economic, energy and national security would be tested in the near future as it grapples with the fallout from the wars in Iran and Ukraine, AP quoted.
The planned measures to tackle the situation include controlling the cost of living, strengthening ties with the European Union and facilitating easier plans to build new energy infrastructure.
Charles also pledged urgent action on antisemitism, citing the recent attacks on the Jewish community in the UK. He said the government would “defend the British values of decency, tolerance and respect for difference under our common flag”.
Starmer on King’s speech
Now, the bigger question is whether Starmer will be around to implement the measures outlined by the King, and, even if he remains in office, whether he will have the authority to push his proposals through, AP noted.
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Advocating his policy agenda, Starmer said, “This King’s speech will make sure no child is left behind, because everyone has something to contribute to the success of this nation, and every child must succeed if we’re to build a stronger, fairer Britain. That is how we tear down the status quo.”
My government will end the status quo that has failed working people.
We will build a stronger, fairer Britain. pic.twitter.com/XC06lem1JB
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) May 13, 2026
“This King’s Speech sets a different course, a more hopeful course, a course that sees the conflict in Iran, a war on two fronts, not as something to wring our hands about, but as an opportunity we must take to shape our country’s future, to end the status quo that has failed working people, to build a stronger, fairer Britain,” Starmer said.
For, or against a leadership contest
Starmer has warned his ministers and MPs that a Labour leadership contest could result in “chaos,” specifying that he has no intentions to stand down as he still enjoys wider support within the Labour party.
This comes as Health Secretary Wes Sreeting gears up to launch a leadership bid on Thursday. A BBC report noted that Streeting would need the support of 81 MPs to trigger a leadership contest under the Labour Party’s rules.
Streeting also met Starmer in No 10 Downing Street for less than 20 minutes ahead of King Charles’ speech on Wednesday, while Starmer exhibited “full confidence” in the Health Secretary, the prime minister’s official spokesperson told the reporters.
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Meanwhile, more than a hundred members of the UK Parliament have signed a letter, asserting it was “no time for a leadership contest.”
Speaking to Sky News, Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn said, “We should let him get on with doing his job, because he is a serious politician and these are very, very serious times.”
However, about 90 others have called for Starmer to stand down, or at least set out a timetable for his departure, according to AP.
Starmer meets minister, MPs
The UK PM also held a series of meetings with Labour MPs and ministers in the Parliament, telling them: “We cannot let a leadership contest plunge us into chaos – a challenge would 100% do that.”
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According to the BBC, there were two meetings lasting for 15 minutes each — one with ministers of state and one with more junior ministers, where they told Starmer that the UK government needed to act more like insurgents and govern differently. The prime minister accepted he needed to change, the report highlighted.
Meanwhile, cabinet ministers on Wednesday attempted to persuade colleagues that a leadership contest at the moment would “paralyse the ability of the government to get things done for months” and “cause chaos,” the BBC noted.
