Huntingdon Caretaker Premiership

This article is about the events of the Baron Huntingdon's Premiership. For the cabinet of his Premiership, see Huntingdon Caretaker Ministry.

Huntingdon Caretaker Premiership 9 November 2024 – 13 November 2024
Monarch	Charles III
Cabinet	Huntingdon Caretaker Ministry
Party	The British Workers' Party
Seat	10 Downing Street
Coat of Arms of HM Government under Charles III

Charles Wright, The Baron Huntingdon was invited on 10 November 2024 by Charles III to form a Government in his name, and to serve as Prime Minister of Great Britain, following the resignation of the The Baron Calder & Wilton the same day. The Baron Huntingdon was appointed to serve as Prime Minister until the November 2024 General Election which the Sovereign called for 15 November 2024. During his time in 10 Downing Street, Wright also served as First Lord of the Treasury and as Leader of the British Workers' Party.

The appointment of Charles Wright, The Baron Huntingdon as Prime Minister was unexpected, as he had previously withdrawn his support for the government of his predecessor and led the British Workers' Party, an opposition party. His appointment was notable for being the first time in history that an individual served as Prime Minister more than once without ever having been elected. Additionally, it marked the first time in over two years that the Leader of the British Workers' Party had held the office of Prime Minister. It also is notable that in both occasions Wright was appointed he served as Speaker of the House of Commons at the moment of appointment.

Background

Resignation of Baron Calder & Wilton

Wright was appointed following the Resignation of August Carew-Grey, The Baron Calder & Wilton. During the first weeks of the Calder Premiership Wright had served as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Wright was responsible for submitting the only legislation produced by the Calder Premiership, with the National Commerce Act 2024, the October Budget 2024 and the Estate Development Act. However, after multiple failures within the House of Lords, Wright has resigned citing that his agenda could not pass either way in a conservative House of Lords. At this time, Wright also retracted his confidence for the Calder Premiership, stating:

I too withdraw my support for this Government. It has failed to do anything in the regard of recruitment as of yet, including the reintroduction of the promised daily questions, weekly telegram and weekly polls. Even the most basic communication has lacked, such as an inaugural address or weekly updates, and I disagree entirely with the limited size of the Cabinet which was opted for despite the challenges we are facing. 10 Downing Street hasn't even been cleared up yet. It simply doesn't feel like this Government will move the region forward.

Following his resignation, Wright opted to address the lack of efforts with regard to recruitment through the introduction of the Resolution to Declare a Recruitment Crisis, which passed both the House of Commons and House of Lords. Immediately after the resolution was proposed, the Secretary of State for the Home Office started sharing updates on recruitment, and the nation count recovered.

During the remainder of the Calder Premiership, Wright was one of the most vocal voices of opposition. As Member of Parliament, he asked questions during the Prime Minister's Questions on four different occasions. During the questioning, amongst other things, it was revealed that the foreign updates weren't sent out and the Master Citizenship List wasn't updated throughout the term, the Orders-in-Council to change the lay-out of Government to the new structure preferred by the Prime Minister weren't changed, and despite ongoing inactivty and multiple resignations, no events were planned.

Later, August Carew-Grey would after almost a month, release the first address as Prime Minister of his Premiership. In the address, the Prime Minister acknowledged his absence, but dubbed his Premiership as an incredibly succesful, citing the budget proposed and written by Charles Wright, The Baron Huntingdon, and the recruitment efforts of the Government. In his statement, Carew-Grey also outlined his goals for the remainder of the term:

To summarise it all up and the plans for this government, as much as I would like to be remembered in this tern for radical reform, we are just going to keep this ship going. The last term ended early, impacting my ability to plan for the coming term and the lack of voting also impacted my ability to work out plans. Suffice it to say we are just going to keep working until the election and continue to put in the work to ensure that the coming terms are built on a successful and stable foundations.

Four days later, on 9 November 2024, the Baron Calder & Wilton resigned and recommended Charles Wright, the Baron Huntingon as his successor, who subsequently invited the Sovereign's request to form a Government in his name. The resignation of the Baron Calder & Wilton followed the second high-profile resignation of the Calder Premiership by Chancellor of the Exchequer Nicholas Burke.

Inaugural Address and Appointments

Following Wright's acceptance of the Sovereign's request to form a Government in his name, Charles held his inaugural address in front of 10 Downing Street. In his address, Wright made known how surprised he was to find himself back in 10 Downing Street for the second. This was unexpected, as Wright had been one of the biggest criticizers of the Calder Premiership and had revoked his confidence for the Baron Calder earlier. Wright acknowledges his role as caretaker and summarized his plans for his caretaker government as follows:

Given the pressing state of affairs within the government and the Empire, my immediate and sole priority is to establish a strong foundation for the next administration and to address the pressing administrative backlog. This includes finalizing updates, such as the foreign affairs report for October, refreshing the master citizenship list, and establishing a comprehensive register of our diplomatic ties and diplomats. With these steps, coupled with department-wide transition reports, I aim to hand over a government equipped for action, hopefully enabling the next Government to advance a vigorous agenda, following what I view as two largely caretaker premierships.

Wright also took the occasion to appoint Sirch Somerset, the Marquess Lorne, to the office of Secretary of State for the Foreign Office. Wright was able to request Somerset's assistance because of their longstanding personal and professional friendships, developed over multiple Premierships. Wright also re-appointed Nicholas Burke, whose resignation, the second after Wright's, preceded the resignation of the Baron Calder.

Premiership

Cultural Policy

National Remembrance Day Service

Wright took the initiative to host the National Remembrance Day Service that traditionally takes place on the 2nd sunday of November. During the ceremony, the Sovereign, the Prince of Wales, the Prince Royal, Wright himself as Prime Minister and Horatio Nelson, recipient of the Victoria Cross and Major-General late, each laid down a wreath to remember the courage and sacrifice of all those fallen in conflicts since the two World Wars.

Election Festival

On the 10th of November, after the registration opened for the November General Elections, Wright hosted and opened the November 2024 General Election Festival. During this festival, citizens could participate in six different forum games.