Andy Burnham is considering holding a fresh King’s Speech to set out new priorities for his Government, The i Paper has been told.
The Prime Minister is understood to be weighing up whether a new parliamentary session would provide an opportunity to mark a break from the Sir Keir Starmer era which saw Labour’s popularity plunge in the polls.
However, a Government source said there are no plans for it to happen this calendar year, sparing ministers the awkward optics of summoning the King back to Westminster only months after he set out the Labour administration’s legislative priorities in May.
A King’s Speech, which sets out the laws and priorities ministers’ intend to pursue, is not required when a new Prime Minister enters Downing Street.
Governments can continue legislating under an existing parliamentary session, and there is no constitutional obligation on a successor to seek a new session simply because there has been a change of leader.
Instead, the decision is largely political.
A senior Whitehall source said that much of what Burnham had announced in the first days of his premiership signalled a departure from Starmer’s previous agenda.
“The question is what legislation will be needed to make the changes he wants and whether an entire new King’s Speech will be required to set out the new Government’s priorities,” the source said.
Since entering No 10, Burnham has sought to establish a distinct governing style centred on devolution, economic renewal and what allies describe as a more localised approach to public service reform.
While ministers insist there has been no abrupt break with the programme on which Labour was elected, some in Westminster believe the new Prime Minister is beginning to carve out a political identity that is very distinct from his predecessor.
The strongest case for a fresh King’s Speech may come from Burnham’s devolution agenda.
While many of his early priorities on housing, welfare and the cost of living could be pursued through existing powers or legislation already before Parliament, his plans to hand English mayors a share of income tax revenues and sweeping new fiscal powers are likely to require substantial primary legislation.
That could eventually strengthen the argument for a new legislative programme reflecting the priorities of the Burnham administration rather than those inherited from Starmer.
One Government insider said no decision had been taken on whether a fresh King’s Speech would be necessary, but acknowledged that the issue could become more pressing if ministers conclude that significant constitutional or fiscal reforms are required to deliver the Prime Minister’s ambitions.
Parliamentary sessions typically last around a year, although governments have considerable discretion over their length.
Recent sessions have lasted anywhere from around 12 months to more than two years, with ministers able to seek a new session and King’s Speech whenever they judge it politically or legislatively advantageous.
The precedent for doing so mid-Parliament is well established.
Gordon Brown entered No 10 in June 2007 and later that year unveiled a Queen’s Speech setting out the programme of his administration despite not having fought a general election. Boris Johnson also sought a fresh Queen’s Speech in October 2019 after replacing Theresa May in Downing Street.
Neither leader was constitutionally required to seek a new legislative programme. However, both used the occasion to signal a new phase of government and to demonstrate that power had shifted from one administration to another, despite there having been no intervening election.
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