LONDON — Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government will set out a legislative programme of 35 bills covering housing, immigration, energy and other reforms at the State Opening of Parliament in London on Wednesday. King Charles III will deliver the speech to lawmakers during the ceremony, which marks the start of the new parliamentary session.

The package includes a bill to enable British regulations to be changed to align with those of the European Union, a measure to strengthen the immigration system, and legislation to all but end the leasehold system in England and Wales. A separate leasehold reform bill will ban the sale of new leasehold flats, though the housing minister acknowledged that the measure will not take effect until after the next general election.

"The British people expect the government to get on with the job of changing our country for the better," Starmer said. "Britain stands at a pivotal moment: to press ahead with a plan to build a stronger, fairer country or turn back to the chaos and instability of the past."

An energy independence bill is included to facilitate the transition to clean power, incorporating measures recommended by infrastructure expert John Fingleton to make it easier to build nuclear power plants. The king will also announce a bill to fully nationalise British Steel, which is already under government control.

The immigration legislation will require some migrants to wait 10 years before qualifying for settled status in the United Kingdom and will restrict the use of article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights to appeal asylum decisions. The Health Secretary will oversee a bill to abolish NHS England, and the Education Secretary will legislate reforms to special educational needs.

The speech is expected to include proposals to address the cost of living, create a national wealth fund, tighten rules for asylum seekers, abolish jury trials for some cases in England and Wales, lower the voting age to 16, and introduce a duty of candor for public officials.

The state opening follows losses for the Labour Party in local and regional elections the previous week, and will be the first opportunity many Labour MPs have had to see each other since those results and subsequent leadership speculation. Government aides hope the ceremony will dissuade prospective rebels from organising to remove the prime minister.

Charles's senior aide asked top government officials whether the king should proceed with Wednesday's ceremony. The palace was told that it was constitutionally correct for the monarch to open parliament as planned, and security arrangements are in place for his attendance.

During the ceremony the monarch travels from Buckingham Palace to the Houses of Parliament in a horse-drawn carriage, dons the Imperial State Crown and robe of state, and leads a procession into the chamber of the House of Lords. Black Rod summons members of the House of Commons by having the Commons chamber doors slammed and striking them three times. After the king reads the speech, the two houses begin several days of debate on its contents.