Rishi Sunak had two options when drawing up the King’s Speech which has laid out the Government’s legislative plans for the last year before the general election.
He could go for a highly political agenda, drawing dividing lines with Labour and reaching out directly to voters with a pre-election pitch; or he could opt for a limited, pragmatic set of bills which can show that he is getting things done and quietly fixing the machinery of the British state.
Before the speech, all the signs were that it would be the former. Government insiders briefed that it would contain eye-catching measures such as a ban on councils imposing blanket 20mph speed limits, and a new criminal offence for charities to hand out tents to homeless people.
This would have played into Mr Sunak’s new persona as the candidate of “change”, with a populist appeal to voters who are fed up with politics as usual.
In the event, he seems to have carried out a last-minute swerve. The speech contains a modest number of bills – just 21, raising the prospect that they might for once all make it through Parliament before the election. And most are relatively uncontentious, meaning there will be few major Conservative rebellions or showdowns with the House of Lords. No 10 says that the motoring policies remain, but as guidance rather than law; while a decision on a tents ban will be made at a future date.
The contours of the election are becoming clearer. The Prime Minister will present himself as a man of action and a problem solver, far from the divisive swagger of his predecessors Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.
He will claim that this is a contrast to Sir Keir Starmer – focus groups suggest that the Labour leader’s biggest vulnerability, despite his hefty polling lead, is that some voters see him as a perpetual moaner who picks holes in the Government agenda without having ideas for change.
Particularly striking is the focus on crime, with four bills aimed at making the country safe by keeping prisoners locked up for longer, giving more rights to victims and reducing the chances of terrorist attacks at large public venues.
This is no coincidence. The Tories have lost their usual lead over Labour on law and order, and crime perhaps the biggest issue not covered by any of Mr Sunak’s five priorities which focus on the economy, health and immigration.
The risk for the Prime Minister is that voters will be unimpressed with his efforts to patch up the country after 13 years of Conservative rule.
Sir Keir is desperate to tie Mr Sunak to the legacy of Mr Johnson and Ms Truss – the Prime Minister has avoided a big fight over the King’s Speech, but perhaps also given up the opportunity of a political breakthrough.
