The State Opening of the Parliament elected on 4th July 2024 took place on 17th July with the King’s Speech.
We need to go back 27 years to 14th May 1997 for a State Opening of Parliament with a very similar Labour majority. Tony Blair plays the role of Keir Starmer and Queen Elizabeth that of King Charles
Tony Benn wrote a brief account of the occasion in his diary. He appears to have swerved the Queen’s Speech but was in Parliament for the opening of the debate on it.
The motion of address was moved by Gerald Kaufman, a very amusing speech, I can’t stand the man but he was very funny. And then Chris Mullin made another very good and funny speech. John Major replied; it was quite reasonable, repeating some of the anxieties of the Tories in the election. Then Blair made a very confident speech-it was really a new President Kennedy, more so even than President Clinton. Kinnock, by the way, was in the Gallery.
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