"At 11.15am the king will arrive at parliament for the state opening. The king's speech sets out the legislative programme for the next year. Kiran Stacey has a preview here. In normal circumstances, this is one of the big events in the annual political calender although most of what is in the speech has been well trailed, so it is more a day for ceremony than surprise. We will get plenty of information; alongside the speech, the government publishes a 100-page briefing pack, with outline details of all the bills coming up over the next 12 months."
"But Keir Starmer had another appointment first. We learned last night that he would be meeting Wes Streeting, the health secretary who wants to replace him. Yesterday Starmer in effect challenged Streeting to put up or shut up' and, although some of Streeting's allies have resigned from ministerial jobs, and others have joined the long list of Labour MPs publicly calling for Starmer's resignation, by last night Streeting had still not launched a formal leadership challenge."
"In Downing Street they are starting to believe that Streeting has blinked because he does not have the support he needs to win a contest. Streeting arrived for the meeting at Downing Street at 8.24am. He was out again 16 minutes later. Streeting allies have indicated that they don't intend to brief on what happened until the king's speech is over, out of respect for Charles. But it does not seem likely that a meeting that swift was cordial."
"According to one report, Streeting was going to ask Starmer how he planned to get us out of this mess. Starmer clearly was not minded to give him a long, considered, collegiate answer. What we don't know is whether or not Streeting said he would launch a leadership challenge."
The king arrives at Westminster at 11.15am for the state opening of parliament. The king’s speech sets out the legislative programme for the coming year and is accompanied by a government 100-page briefing pack detailing bills planned over the next 12 months. Keir Starmer meets Wes Streeting at Downing Street earlier in the morning, following Streeting’s push to replace him as a leadership contest remains unresolved. Streeting’s allies have delayed briefing until after the king’s speech, suggesting the meeting may not have been cordial. The outcome of whether Streeting will launch a formal leadership challenge remains unclear.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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