Premiership of the 2nd Duke of Cambridge
 | |
| Premiership of the 2nd Duke of Cambridge 6 January 2025 – Present | |
| Monarch | George VII |
|---|---|
| Cabinet | Cambridge Ministry |
| Party | The Heron Party |
| Seat | 10 Downing Street |
 Coat of Arms of HM Government under George VII | |
William Somerset, 2nd Duke of Cambridge's tenure as Prime Minister of Great Britain started on 6 January 2025 when he accepted King George VII's invitation to form a government in his name, following the January 2025 General Election which resulted in a hung Parliament. The Leader of Unionist-Heron Parliamentary Coalition, August Carew, The Baron Calder, failed to return to the House of Commons by a single vote and promptly resigned. Cambridge was swiftly elected as Coalition Leader and then entered talks with the Leader of the British Workers' Party, Noa de Carteret. After several hours, an agreement was struck and Cambridge received the confidence of the House of Commons. He succeeded Thomas Carew, The Earl of Devon. During this time, he served as First Lord of the Treasury and Leader of the Heron Party, as well as Leader of the Heron-Unionist Parliamentary Coalition. Cambridge was the second Prime Minister of George VII, but the first to be elected during his reign.
Until the 31 January 2025, Somerset's tenure was known as the Durham Premiership; upon the death of his father, Somerset became the 2nd Duke of Cambridge and as such the Premiership was referred to via this senior title. It is the first time a sitting Prime Minister has inherited a peerage, and the fourth time a change of Premiership name has occurred during the tenure of an incumbent Prime Minister.
Achievements of the Premiership
Economic Initiatives
National Shop Implementation
Following his announcement as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the previous term of the Viscount Sidmouth, William worked with his Chancellor Charles Wright, The Viscount Kirkwall to implement the national shop. The first items sold were stamps to commemorate the reign of Charles III, at £50,000 each.
Social Housing Initiative
The Treasury also drafted and proposed a new social housing scheme in each country of the Empire, to allow citizens without official residences to be able to have a home for posts and their own activity.
Domestic Initiatives
Governance Act
In accordance with the 'Path Forward' white paper published by the Home Secretary Josephine Carew, The Countess of Strathmore, the Governance Act was proposed to formally establish the Great Offices of State and permanent members of the Cabinet of Great Britain, as well as replacing the Executive Act 2024.
Civil Service Reform
William, along with his Cabinet Secretary Sirch Somerset, 2nd Duke of York, implemented a reform of the Civil Service to create a 'fluid' structure in which Civil Servants would be temporarily stationed in multiple different departments by the Cabinet Secretary at the request of Government Ministers to fulfil requirements without being permanently tied to a single government office.
Patronage Reform
The Culture Secretary Llywellyn Evans-Jones, The Baron St Brides, working with the Prime Minister and education officials from across the region, implemented reforms to the patronage of universities to allow any citizen to be nominated for the position rather than just members of the Royal Family. These reforms also included changes to the automatic dissolution of private educational institutions, and removed the ability for the government to dissolve private universities at will.
Bus Passes
In accordance with non-standard legislation passed by the Culture Secretary in previous terms, the culture office implemented bus passes.
Burns Night Cultural Events
The Ministry of Culture coordinated a series of events for the celebration of Burns Night, including games and competitions, as well as the customary haggis dinner. This was done to celebrate the culture of the different realms of the Empire, and promote regional activity.
Updated Citizenship Application
To continue the modernising of the region and to promote accessibility, the Prime Minister introduced a new template and instructions for citizenship applications, to allow for an easier process for prospective citizens.
Remodelling of Government Boards
In the same vein of modernisation, the Government boards on the forum were renamed and re-imaged to allow for easier location and accessibility, especially for new citizens who would struggle to find the boards under their previous address-based names.
Durham Legal Reforms
Secondary Legislation Act
In accordance with the Durham Legal Reforms, the Secondary Legislation Act 2025 was introduced by the Prime Minister to reduce the bloat in types of legislation, and to formally provide for the existence of subordinate legislation; introducing the ability for delegation to public bodies and government ministers, and allowing parliament to overturn secondary legislation that was not passed through parliament initially.
Reasonable Evidencing Amendments
As another element of the legal reforms in the Prime Minister's name, changes were made to the Reasonable Evidencing Limitations Act to allow for better functioning of subpoenas and trials in contempt of court for the withholding of evidence.
Foreign Initiatives
Forest Relations
The Foreign Secretary August Carew, The Baron Calder reached out to the region Forest for foreign relations, but they were ultimately declined by the region.
Blue Ridge Relations
The Foreign Office successfully began relations with the defender region Blue Ridge, with the construction of embassies being completed in mid-January of 2025.