Whenever there is a change in government, there is a dizzying array of job title changes.
Even if the winner of the election isn’t a huge surprise, and even for those of us who have spent our professional lives observing and scrutinizing these people, it could still surprise us.
Suddenly, the person answering the “Prime Minister’s” questions was a different person than he was earlier this month.
Opposition Leader Rishi Sunak continues to oppose the Chancellor but is no longer the Chancellor.
This is a new administration that is seizing three key moments in its first two weeks in power to solidify its position in the minds of voters and shake off the novelty of people who have long been in the opposition teaming up to run a government.
Last week there was the NATO summit in Washington, on Thursday there was the European Political Community meeting at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, and today there is the King’s Speech.
These are all events whose ritual and vivid imagery add glamour to more mundane political promises.
It is very useful for any government at any time, it is the staging and staging of the administration that is not acknowledged by the opposition.
In pure numbers terms, the number of new bills due to be announced at today’s opening of Parliament is high – Labour says it is more than Tony Blair passed during the same period in 1997.
It is worth saying that government planning and government outcomes are not the same thing.
Initiatives for new legislation can get stalled, sidetracked or amended, and governments can run out of time or enthusiasm to pursue them.
And then something happens that gets on the agenda, that gets attention, that gets the attention of ministers. It happens all the time.
But let’s not forget that this is a government with a supermajority.
The rebellion and uproar would have to be quite significant to cause Sir Keir Starmer any real problems, and while he will no doubt have some uncomfortable members on his benches at some point, the majority will (probably) pledge their loyalty before they get too cranky.
The Prime Minister’s aim today is not to wow but to impress with energy and urgency.
He will try to convince you that he is making his campaign promises a reality, or at least beginning the process.
And he wants to give the impression that his party has been working hard to prepare to govern in opposition — that the scale of these ideas clearly means they weren’t put together in the last two weeks.
Labour wants to make the most of a honeymoon period that it knows will probably not last.
They made good use of that most powerful word in their election campaigns: change.
Now the next hard part is actually delivering it.
