The Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III
The Coronation of His Majesty The King last Saturday was an event that most of us have not seen in our lifetimes.
This religious and solemn ceremony, laden with symbolism laid down over the centuries, reflected the Monarch’s role today and looked towards the future, whilst being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry.
Nobody is better prepared to be King than this Monarch; it is a job like no other and one that King Charles has demonstrated that he is ideally equipped to do. This state occasion showed Britain off to the world, and I am proud that we did it very well.
Following the Ceremony, on Sunday, it was a huge honour to help welcome The Princess Royal and Sir Tim Laurence to a street party in Belmont Crescent here in South Swindon, where there was a rousing three cheers for His Majesty The King.
There were more cheers for The King at the Polish Community Centre in Park South where I joined residents for a Coronation Big Lunch, followed by a packed Wood Street event too, with thanks to Old Town Business Association.
With special thanks to all those local residents who worked hard to organise Coronation events here in Swindon, which were enjoyed by so many of us in the local community. I would also like to thank talented young Swindon artist, Rhys Stacey, for sharing his special Coronation portrait with me.
A Tough Set Of Results For The Conservatives In Swindon
There was a very tough set of results for the Conservatives in Swindon last week following the local elections. Some great colleagues and friends sadly lost their seats.
Despite this, we will continue to work hard for local people and learn from these results. The focus has to be on the residents we serve, and I will seek to work constructively with the new Council leadership in order to continue to deliver for our town.
New Taxi Safeguarding Law As Part Of ‘Sian’s Legacy’
I am glad that a new law has been introduced by the Government, which will help to safeguard passengers and crack down on unfit taxi and private hire vehicle drivers as part of ‘Sian’s Legacy’.
Sian O’Callaghan was tragically murdered by a cab driver following a night out here in Swindon in 2011, changing her family's lives forever.
As a result of the new law, councils in England will now be mandated to use a national database to record instances where taxi and PHV drivers have their licences removed for misconduct. This new law will prevent them from reapplying for a licence in other areas by alerting the system to concerns about their prior behaviour.
Sian’s legacy will now help to keep millions of people in our country safer.
Sian's family have used their pain to harness support for a new law, and along with Justin Tomlinson MP, I am pleased to have campaigned alongside them with the Suzy Lamplugh Trust and help push this new law through Parliament.
Local Charity Of The Week
We are extremely fortunate to have many excellent local charities here in Swindon, and as part of my ongoing work to support them, I run a 'Local Charity Of The Week Scheme.'
As part of the scheme, each week I promote a local charity in my column, on my website, and on my social media pages.
If you would like to nominate a charity for my Local Charity Of The Week Scheme, please get in touch by emailing [email protected]
If you have a national or local issue you would like to raise with me, please get in touch by emailing me on robert.buckland.mp@parliament,uk or by ringing 01793 533393.
Copyright ©The Rt Hon Sir Robert Buckland KBE KC MP 2023 All rights reserved.
