King invites PM and leaders of devolved governments to Windsor Castle
The dinner on Wednesday comes after Downing Street denied involving the monarch
in politics after he appeared alongside the prime minister and Angela Rayner at
a housing project in Cornwall.
Tuesday 11 February 2025 22:48, UK
King Charles will host the prime minister and the first ministers of the
devolved governments at Windsor Castle on Wednesday night, Sky News understands.
The monarch has invited John Swinney, the Scottish first minister, to the
Berkshire royal residence, along with Northern Irish First Minister Michelle
O’Neill, Northern Irish Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly and Welsh
first minister Eluned Morgan, it is understood.
The King [https://news.sky.com/topic/the-king-10355] hosts a number of informal
dinners at Windsor Castle for a wide variety of guests from across the arts,
science, charity and politics each year.
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However, the latest event risks adding fuel to the criticism that the King is
intervening in politics after he joined Sir Keir Starmer
[https://news.sky.com/topic/sir-keir-starmer-8622] and his deputy Angela Rayner
[https://news.sky.com/topic/angela-rayner-9774] on a rare engagement to see a
housing project in Cornwall on Monday.
The monarch Sir Keir and Ms Rayner carried out three engagements in Nansledan, a
540-acre extension to the seaside town of Newquay.
The visit is understood to have followed conversations about housing over the
past few months between King Charles and Sir Keir, during which the Nansledan
project was mentioned.
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The joint trip came ahead of the government outlining further measures to meet
its target to build 1.5m homes over the next five years.
The monarch famously does not intervene in political matters and remains
politically neutral under the constitutional monarchy – but critics have claimed
the visit risked dragging the King into politics.
Asked whether making the visit ahead of the announcement risked that perception,
the prime minister’s official spokesperson said: “No”.
They added: “Obviously, this project is entirely run by the Palace and the Duchy
[of Cornwall], but the government has spoken repeatedly on its ambitions on
housebuilding, it is a key part of the plan for change to deliver 1.5m homes, to
tackle the housing crisis that we’ve inherited, to drive economic growth across
the country.”
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Sir Keir has made improving ties with the devolved leaders one of his priorities
following years of thorny relations under the previous Conservative government.
Last October, the prime minister held a summit with devolved leaders in
Edinburgh
[https://news.sky.com/story/devolved-nation-leaders-praise-starmer-in-rare-win-for-no-10-13268088]
where they discussed working together to grow the economy and to make the UK a
clean energy superpower.
