Official opening for FLOWIC

True North’s Eilidh Whiteford shares her key takeaways from the King’s Speech this afternoon and highlights everything you need to know about the 39 new Bills announced. The majority of MPs who crowded into the House of Lords’ lobby this morning to listen to the King’s Speech are new to parliament and could probably be forgiven for feeling a bit bemused by the arcane pageantry on display. However, the 39 new Bills announced will be keeping them extremely busy over the coming months.

On Sunday, Sir Keir Starmer made Scotland the first stop on his inaugural tour of the UK since becoming Prime Minister. The trip was nominally about delivering a ‘reset’ in relations between the UK and Scottish governments, which had grown particularly strained in the latter years of the Conservative administration. Starmer’s visit was also about reassuring the Scottish electorate, which heavily backed the Labour party once again, that he would continue to value them now the votes have been counted. But the visit also reflected the changing dynamic between the Scottish and UK Labour parties, and the growing importance of the Scottish leader Anas Sarwar, who is now the most powerful Labour figure outside the cabinet. As the two leaders embraced in front of Edinburgh Castle, it was clear that Scottish Labour – and particularly Sarwar himself – are now central to the success of the Starmer project.

It was a very sore night for the SNP. As seat after seat was swept away by an incoming Labour tide, party insiders had to face the possibility that they might be left with fewer seats on Friday than predicted by even the most pessimistic opinion poll. In the end, the SNP went from 48 seats to just nine (with one still to declare as of writing). Labour, by contrast, have been toasting an historic victory in Scotland that surpassed its own expectations. In the cold light of day, the SNP needs to take stock and acknowledge a few home truths.