What is the King’s Speech?

Publications / Guides

What is the King’s Speech?

©UK House of Lords

The King’s Speech is the vehicle through which the Government sets out its legislative programme for a new Session of Parliament. The Speech is the central element of the State Opening of Parliament. The King’s Speech may also be referred to as the 'Gracious Speech'. It is written by the Government; the Monarch simply reads it out. However, the references which the Monarch makes in the Speech to 'my Government' reaffirm the constitutional fact that, formally, the Government is the King's Government and is appointed by him.

This guide is part of the collection: The King’s Speech and State Opening of Parliament: A procedural and constitutional guide

The King's Speech details the major Bills that the Government plans to introduce to Parliament or publish in draft during the new Session. The Speech also sets out a general presentation of the Government's main policy objectives and priorities, in foreign as well as domestic affairs. It usually includes an announcement of any forthcoming State Visits.

The Bills listed in the King's Speech are often the most high-profile and long-planned ones. However, at any time during the Session the Government may introduce Bills that were not listed in the King's Speech. There is no difference between the parliamentary procedure that applies to Government Bills that were included in the Gracious Speech and those that were not.

After the King's Speech, the Leader of the House of Commons normally makes a Written Statement to Parliament confirming the list of Bills announced in the Speech.

What business happens after the King’s Speech?

After the King's Speech, the main business in both Houses is the start of the debate on the Speech. In both Houses, the debate on the Speech normally starts on same day as the Speech takes place.

However, before the House of Commons gets down to any business, the Speaker first makes a statement about the "duties and responsibilities of honourable Members" of the House and usually refers to the Code of Conduct for MPs.

What are the Outlawries and the Select Vestries Bills?

In both Houses, before the start of the debate on the King's Speech, the House gives a symbolic First Reading to a Bill that was not included in the Gracious Speech. This is a formality: the Bill is not published or debated; and although it is ordered to be read a second time, no date is appointed for Second Reading. The process is typically over in a second or two.

However, this symbolic First Reading is undertaken to make the constitutional point that the House is able to consider business of its own choice, not just business that was outlined in the King’s Speech.

In each House, the Bill which is given a symbolic First Reading is always the same.

In the House of Commons, the Bill given a symbolic First Reading is the Outlawries Bill. A Bill with this title was first presented in 1727. Since then, it has been generally accepted that it should not progress as a normal Bill. The Outlawries Bill historically provided for the more ‘effectual preventing’ of ‘clandestine outlawries’ – that is, the declaration of someone as an outlaw without due process.

In the House of Lords, the Bill given a symbolic First Reading is the Select Vestries Bill. This is a remnant of the regular debates that took place in the 18th and 19th centuries on the reform of select vestries. Vestries were a form of local government based on church parish boundaries which had the church vestry as their meeting place. The ‘select’ element refers to the fact that property restrictions limited those entitled to vote in these vestries to only a few ‘select’ people. Reform of select vestries was thus an important aspect of the debate about extending the franchise and reducing the power of the Crown and executive. As the House of Lords historically comprised powerful landowners and Bishops, the Select Vestries Bill came to symbolise the need for Members to act in the national interest rather than self-interest.

In this collection

State Opening of Parliament. ©UK Parliament

What is the State Opening of Parliament?

What is the King’s Speech?

King's Speech debate on 'Address'. ©UK Parliament

The debate on the ‘Address’

← Back to the collection homepage

Last updated and citation

Last updated

6:00pm, 6 November 2023

Cite this page

Hansard Society (2023), What is the King’s Speech?, (Hansard Society: London)

Latest / Highlights

Submissions / Status and rights of independent MPs in Parliament – Our evidence to the House of Commons Procedure Committee

Our evidence on the status and rights of independent MPs has been published by the House of Commons Procedure Committee. Our submission summarises the direct and indirect references to political parties in the Standing Orders and whether they might apply to groupings of independent MPs, analyses whether small parties and independent groupings face disadvantages, particularly in relation to committee membership, and considers whether parliamentary publications should distinguish between the many different kinds of independent MP.

Blog / The Planning and Infrastructure Bill: What happens when detail is deferred?

The Hansard Society has long raised concerns about the Government's increasing tendency to present undeveloped legislation that lacks detailed policy and grants ministers broad delegated powers to fill in the gaps later. This practice undermines effective parliamentary scrutiny, by preventing MPs and Peers from fully assessing how powers may be used, (or misused), in the future. The weak system for overseeing delegated legislation—especially in the Commons—exacerbates the problem. Several powers in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill currently before Parliament highlight these ongoing issues.

News / Assisted dying bill: Special series #12 - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 93

Is Kim Leadbeater's Assisted Dying Bill now "over the hump?" The Bill's supporters got it though its first day of Report Stage consideration in the House of Commons unscathed, with comfortable majorities in every vote. So, with debate on the most contentious set of amendments disposed of, will it now coast through its remaining scrutiny days in the Commons? Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.

Submissions / Evidence to the House of Commons Modernisation Committee: Priorities and strategic aims

In response to the Modernisation Committee's call for views on 17 October 2024, we submitted evidence outlining key areas we believe the Committee should prioritise. Our submission recommended a focus on: strengthening legislative scrutiny, with particular emphasis on reforming the delegated legislation system; enhancing financial scrutiny, especially in relation to the Budget and the Estimates; addressing strategic gaps in parliamentary scrutiny; making more effective use of parliamentary time; and reviewing the Standing Orders, language and rituals of the House of Commons.

News / Spooks, the Ombudsman and the Royal Albert Hall - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 92

Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) – not a select committee, but a group of senior MPs and Peers appointed by the PM – has a “canary in the coalmine” function, to keep an eye on the security and intelligence services and reassure Westminster that all is well. But last week the canary emitted a loud squawk. The ISC raised concerns about its secretariat being under-funded and too tightly controlled by the Cabinet Office – issues that could hinder its independence and effectiveness. Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.