Sawt Falasteen - Besieged Starmer seeks to heal Labour divisions in King's Speech

Starmer, fighting to face down a revolt within his ruling Labour party, has promised his government will be "better" and bolder to assuage disgruntled voters impatient for change.

That pledge will be put to the test in Wednesday's short address in parliament which Downing Street said will unveil an "ambitious programme" that will make Britain a "stronger, fairer" country.

It is the latest crunch moment in Starmer's 22-month premiership and comes after Labour descended into open warfare on Tuesday over the prime minister's future following the party's heavy defeats in local and regional elections.

Four junior ministers resigned and the number of MPs urging Starmer to quit passed 80, but more than 100 others signed a statement urging colleagues to back him.

Several senior ministers also rallied around the Labour premier after Starmer vowed to fight on, telling them that no one had come forward to kick-start a leadership challenge.

Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy urged lawmakers to "step back and take a breath", while a spokesman for interior minister Shabana Mahmood denied rumours that she was resigning.

- 'Pivotal moment' -

"Britain stands at a pivotal moment," Starmer, who in July 2024 became the UK's sixth prime minister in eight years, said in comments late Tuesday ahead of the King's Speech.

"To press ahead with a plan to build a stronger, fairer country or turn back to the chaos and instability of the past."

Despite its name, the King's Speech is not written by the monarch but by the government, which uses it to detail the laws it proposes to make over the next 12 months.

Downing Street said the address will include a package of more than 35 bills "to bolster economic, energy, (and) national security.

They will include proposals to fully nationalise British Steel and deepen Britain's relationship with the European Union.

King Charles will deliver the proposals from a golden throne in the House of Lords upper chamber while wearing the diamond-studded Imperial State Crown and a long crimson robe.

The day's proceedings start when royal bodyguards ritually search the basement of the Palace of Westminster for explosives -- a legacy of the failed attempt by Catholics to blow up parliament in the 1605 Gunpowder plot.

- Black Rod -

The sovereign will then travel to the Houses of Parliament by carriage from Buckingham Palace, escorted by mounted cavalry.

Tradition dictates that an MP is ceremonially held "hostage" in the palace to ensure the king's safe return.

A parliamentary official known as Black Rod will have the door of the lower chamber House of Commons slammed in their face, a tradition that symbolises parliament's independence from the monarchy.

MPs will follow Black Rod to the upper chamber, where Charles, as head of state, will give the speech to assembled lords and ladies in red and ermine robes, plus invited members of the elected Commons at around 11:30 am (1030 GMT).

Starmer is also due Wednesday morning to meet Health Secretary Wes Streeting, purported to be one of his main rivals for the premiership.

Streeting is popular on the right of Labour, while a would-be challenger on the left in any contest could be former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner.

Another much-touted contender, Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester in northwest England, is unable to stand currently as he is not an MP, but supporters want Starmer to lay out a timetable for his departure that allows Burnham to return to parliament and stand.

Under party rules, any challenger would need the support of 81 Labour MPs -- 20 percent of the party in parliament -- to trigger a leadership contest. Starmer has vowed to fight any challenge.

U.AlSharif--SF-PST