Four things to look out for in the King’s speech 

Welcome to Monday’s Early Edition from i.

The plotline includes a Black Rod, a search for gunpowder and a hostage. It won’t, contrary to most Google search results, star Colin Firth or Geoffrey Rush, but tomorrow’s King’s Speech is bound to create some drama. It will be King Charles’ first official Speech from the Throne as monarch, despite giving one on behalf of his mother last year. But the main focus will be on the policies contained within it. The speech is Rishi Sunak’s last chance to set out his vision for the country before the next general election. With polls showing Labour around 18 points ahead, the Prime Minister is under more pressure than ever to show voters he has a deliverable plan. The chaos of scrapping the northern leg of HS2 will still be fresh in many minds, and while a lot of attention is turned towards the conflict in the Middle East, public concern over issues such as the cost-of-living remains high. What’s likely to be included? And will its contents make comfortable reading for King Charles? We’ll take a look after the headlines.

 Today’s news, and why it matters

 The leader of Burnley Council and 10 other councillors have resigned from the Labour Party over leader Sir Keir Starmer’s refusal to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. Afrasiab Anwar and other party councillors accused Sir Keir and the Labour leadership of not heeding their concerns and failing to “acknowledge the sentiments within our communities”.

Charities have called on Suella Braverman to come and see the reality of homelessness for herself after she described rough sleeping as a “lifestyle choice”. Ms Braverman claimed on Saturday: “We cannot allow our streets to be taken over by rows of tents occupied by people, many of them from abroad, living on the streets as a lifestyle choice”.

Conservative peer Sayeeda Warsi has said she feels she is in a “toxic abusive relationship” with her party but rules out ever joining Labour. In an interview with i, Baroness Warsi, who became Britain’s first Muslim to attend Cabinet, said the Conservatives were at risk of becoming like the Republican Party in the US, who she said operated in a world in which “you can talk all sorts of rubbish and not back it up with evidence”.

Ministers are drawing up plans to launch a ‘111-style’ phone hotline offering support to the more than 2.5 million people classed as long-term sick to nudge them back into work, i can reveal. The policy is part of a package of measures the Government is preparing to unveil at this month’s Autumn Statement designed to tackle economic inactivity.

The Chancellor should avoid cutting taxes in his Autumn Statement because the Government’s headroom is a “fiscal illusion”, the Resolution Foundation has warned. The think tank said Jeremy Hunt should instead use the statement on 22 November to prioritise public spending.

IVF can cost up to £6,000 more than couples expect due to “add-on” treatments which are not necessarily effective, i can reveal. Prospective parents undergoing fertility treatment are offered optional extras that claim to improve their chances of having a baby and cost thousands of pounds.

Plans to rehome Britain’s “loneliest sheep”, which had been stranded for more than two years at the foot of the Scottish Highlands has sparked a row. Animal rights groups say plans to move the ewe named Fiona to a farm park would make her a “spectacle”.

Four things to look out for in the King’s Speech:

Oil and gas: In an attempt to set out a clear dividing line between the Tories and Labour ahead of the next election, Mr Sunak is expected to announce an annual system for giving out oil and gas licences in the North Sea. The government says it will provide job security for 200,000 workers and help with the transition to net zero in 2050, and reduce dependency on “hostile foreign regimes”. It says production from new gas and oil fields in the North Sea could be cleaner than older ones, and it would help unlock green investment and development of technologies including hydrogen. Under the plan, the annual licensing round will only take place if key tests are met that support the transition to net zero. But Ed Miliband, shadow climate secretary, said the government was more focused on creating dividing lines over the green agenda than delivering energy security. He said: “This proposed bill is a stunt which does nothing to lower bills or deliver energy security. We already have regular North Sea oil and gas licensing in Britain, and it is precisely our dependence on fossil fuels that has led to the worst cost of living crisis in generations.”

Crime and justice: The speech is rumoured to contain a new criminal justice bill that includes tougher sentencing for serious crimes such as rape. New legislation which will force offenders to attend their sentencing is also set to be included among these crime measures. The issue made headlines at the time of Lucy Letby’s sentencing when she refused to turn up to court. But it isn’t without controversy. While campaigners for it believe it is a crucial part of the justice system, some say it could add pressure to the prison system if those who refuse are given longer sentences because of it, others say it is a misguided and overly emotional decision. Mr Sunak’s speech is also expected to include a new anti-terror law called “Martyn’s Law“- named after Martyn Hett, a victim of the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing. It will require venues and local authorities to have preventative plans against terror attacks, but critics have warned it could force small venues like village halls to close. Read more on that, here.  

 Housing reform: Last week, housing minister Rachel Maclean, suggested that the government would be banning leaseholds on new house builds, meaning houses would all be sold as freehold, where the owner owns both the property and the land. The leasehold system, which has been described as “feudal” often sees expensive fees imposed on homeowners. However, this new system would not apply to flats, which is what some housing campaigners have called for. Reports suggest that the government would also cap all existing ground rents at a very low rate, known as a “peppercorn” rate. At the time, Labour’s shadow housing minister Matthew Pennycook said: “If this thin gruel is all we’re getting in the King’s Speech, leaseholders will have been failed.” The Renters (Reform) Bill will also return, having been carried over from the previous parliamentary session – but will not feature a ban on “no-fault” section 21 evictions after the pledge was delayed indefinitely by Housing Secretary Michael Gove. Read more about that and the other policies that may be unveiled this week, here. 

The King’s reaction: Many commentators will be looking for signs of discomfort from the monarch, who is well-known for his environmental stance. In September, one day after Rishi Sunak sparked anger for weakening his government’s green policies, the King made a global call for stronger action on climate change.”Just as we stand together against military aggression [in Ukraine], so must we strive together to protect the world from our most existential challenge of all: that of global warming, climate change and the catastrophic destruction of nature,” he said. Tomorrow, he will face the uncomfortable task of reading out a speech which contains elements he is likely to disagree with. 

What happens after the speech? MPs will debate the contents of the speech shortly after its delivery on Tuesday, which can go on for several days. There is a vote, which is generally seen as symbolic. The last time a government lost such a vote was almost 100 years ago, in 1924.

Around the world

 UK nationals hoping to leave Gaza via the Rafah border remained stuck in the besieged territory over the weekend after the border failed to open as hoped. More than 100 UK nationals, roughly half of the Britons believed to have been in Gaza, have been able to leave so far through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, which opened last week to evacuate severely wounded Palestinians as well as dual and foreign nationals.

The Israeli military has said it has encircled Gaza City and reached a “significant stage” in its war with Hamas as the region came under its third total communications blackout. Israel Defence Forces are now expected to enter Gaza City within the next 48 hours, according to Israeli media reports, after dividing the besieged coastal territory into two. “They reached the coast in the southern part of Gaza City and they encircled Gaza City”, said Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari. “Today there is north Gaza and south Gaza.”

A hostage stand-off at Hamburg airport was resolved on Sunday more than 18 hours after a man rammed through a gate and drove his car out onto the tarmac. The airport was closed to all traffic at around 8pm local time on Saturday after the 35-year-old, who had a four-year-old child inside his car, parked under a Turkish Airlines plane.

Conflict in the Middle East could help trigger a global recession, Wall Street experts have warned. Larry Fink, chief executive of the world’s largest asset manager, BlackRock, said a combination of the Hamas atrocities of 7 October, Israel’s resultant attack on Gaza and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year had pushed the world “almost to a whole new future”.

A Spanish galleon lying off its Caribbean coast with treasure on board that could be worth as much as £16bn will be brought to the surface urgently, the Colombian government has said. It is believed to be carrying silver from Bolivia, emeralds from Colombia and 11 million gold coins. The value of its cargo meant that it became known as the “holy grail of shipwrecks”.

 Watch out for…

 the Covid inquiry, which today will hear from from former Treasury chief economic adviser Clare Lombardelli and former deputy principal private secretary to the prime minister Stuart Glassborow. 

 Thoughts for the day

 Public partly culpable for damping media debate on climate change. Are the British populace culpable of not actually wanting to engage with the subject, asks Ian Burrell.

My divorce is becoming humiliating and expensive – we desperately need reform. Every time I have to use a lawyer for an email I can feel the bill racking up, and it makes me feel sick with panic, reveals Rebecca Reid.

Why we have a ‘type’ and fall for people completely unsuitable for us. We are extremely, fascinatingly choosy when it comes to partners, explains the School of Life.

Culture Break

 Supermarkets defined our taste in books – not any more. Shops like Tesco and Sainsbury’s used to shape what we read. But picking up the latest thriller alongside your weekly fruit and veg is no longer quite so simple, writes Holly Williams.

The Big Read

 I’m trapped in Britain’s worst new build – and I’m terrified my £1m home will collapse on me. ‘When the train goes past, my flat sways like we’re on a boat. If it collapses, at best we’ll lose everything, and at worst we’ll die,’ says a mother living a new build nightmare.

Sport

 Mauricio Pochettino admits he could return to Tottenham one day: ‘The feeling at Chelsea is not the same’. The Argentine hopes to stay at Chelsea for another 25 years but says ‘you never know in football’ as he faces his former club, writes Neil Mahoney.

 Something to brighten your day

 Kids hate restaurants – this is how I got my two to behave so I can enjoy myself. With some restaurants introducing “naughty children surcharges” mum-of-two Esther Walker shares her top tips to eating out with kids.