Premiership of the Viscount Kirkwall

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Premiership of the Viscount Kirkwall
20 March 2025 – 20 April 2025
MonarchGeorge VII
CabinetKirkwall Ministry
PartyIndependent
Seat10 Downing Street

GeorgeVIIHMGCoA.png

Coat of Arms of HM Government under George VII

Charles Wright, The Viscount Kirkwall's third tenure as Prime Minister of Great Britain began on the 20 March 2025, when formed a government following the resignation of Josephine Carew, The Countess of Strathmore. During this time, Wright also served as First Lord of the Treasury and as Chancellor of the Exchequer. This was Wright's third tenure as PM, following the trend of his tenure's coming via appointments or resignations, as opposed to victories in a General Election. He was the fourth Prime Minister of George VII, and the second to not be elected during his reign.

Background

Resignation of the Countess of Strathmore

On 20 March 2025, the Countess of Strathmore announced her resignation as Prime Minister. Her tenure followed a 101-day period as Secretary of State for the Home Department. In the week preceding her resignation, she had also briefly served as Foreign Secretary following the departure of the Viscount Clare.

In her resignation statement, the Countess of Strathmore acknowledged the challenges faced by the government, stating that its efforts had not been effective and that ultimate responsibility lay with the Prime Minister. She cited governmental fatigue as a contributing factor, having served in the Cabinet since November 2024, and noted the additional demands imposed by a challenging regency. Following her resignation, she recommended the Viscount Kirkwall as her successor. The Viscount Kirkwall publicly pledged to "carry the torch forward," commending the Countess of Strathmore for her exemplary leadership. He stated that the Imperial Family had collectively failed to support the Prime Minister during her tenure, specifically citing the resignations of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, the Deputy Prime Minister, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer as key challenges the outgoing Prime Minister had faced.

Three Resignations from the Speakership to Assume the Premiership

Following his summons to Buckingham Palace to be invited to form a government in the name of His Majesty King George VII, the Viscount Kirkwall was required to resign as Speaker of the House of Commons in accordance with the Parliament Act 2024. This marked the third occasion on which he had stepped down from the Speakership after being named as the successor to an outgoing Prime Minister. Notably, on all three occasions, the Viscount Kirkwall was neither a member of the outgoing Prime Minister’s party nor a serving member of the Cabinet at the time of his appointment. As Father of the House, in a legally grey area, the Viscount Kirkwall had to continue to serve as Acting Speaker of the House of Commons and to preside over the Speakership Election.

Composing Cabinet

Grievances of the Outgoing Deputy Prime Minister

Following his inaugural statement on 20 March 2025, the Viscount Kirkwall announced his intention to recompose His Majesty’s Cabinet. Before the new composition was formally revealed, the Deputy Prime Minister, the Viscount Clare, announced his resignation in a statement titled "Jumping Before I'm Pushed."

In his resignation statement, the Viscount Clare criticized the Prime Minister’s justification for offering him a continued role within the Whitehall Foreign Council. He asserted that the Prime Minister had failed to acknowledge his experience, instead valuing his amicable relations with allied regions. Furthermore, he accused the Prime Minister of breaching decorum by intending to dismiss him rather than affording him the opportunity to resign voluntarily.

The Prime Minister responded by emphasizing that he had recognized the contributions of the former Foreign Secretary and had extended an offer for him to remain in the Whitehall Foreign Council. However, he defended his decision to move in a different direction due to concerns over activity levels. The Viscount Clare further criticized the Prime Minister for not selecting him as his successor in spite of custom, arguing that he would have been willing and able to improve his level of activity. In response, the Prime Minister reportedly replied in Latin: "Deeds, not words, my dear son." The wider community did not express support for the outgoing Deputy Prime Minister’s grievances.

The First Premiership Led Entirely by Independents

The Viscount Kirkwall became the first Prime Minister to be appointed as an independent since Corneli Flint on 19 January 2020 and only the second independent to hold the office since that time. In his cabinet composition announcement on 20 March 2025, he nominated an independent Deputy Prime Minister, the Duke of Warwick, and an independent First Secretary of State, Sir Philip Wright. As a result, the Kirkwall Premiership marked the first time in which the entire senior leadership of the Cabinet was composed exclusively of independents.

Establishment of the Ministry for Overseas Development

As part of the announcement of the new cabinet composition, the Viscount Kirkwall established the Ministry for Overseas Development. The ministry was tasked with overseeing gameside cultural affairs in response to a decline in the region's population, which had reached one of its lowest levels since the summer of 2021. The Secretary of State for Overseas Development outlined the ministry’s responsibilities in his inaugural statement, which included posting daily questions on the regional message board, publishing weekly polls, sending weekly telegrams, and selecting an on-site nation as the Region of the Week on a weekly basis.

Premiership

Cultural Policy

March 2025 By-Election Festival

The first cultural event hosted by the Kirkwall Premiership took place during the March 2025 By-Election, prompted by the resignation of the outgoing Prime Minister. The Viscount Kirkwall organized three distinct games as part of the festival: a word chain game, a campaign promise game, and an electoral map game. The festival was officially opened on the second day of the Kirkwall Premiership by the Patron of the Election Festival, William, The Prince of Wales.

Head of the River Race 2025

The inaugural Head of the River Race was officially launched on March 24, 2025, with the Viscount Kirkwall firing the starting shot. The event featured four competing teams and concluded on March 28, 2025. The race maintained a communication format in which the amount of roleplay messages teammates interchanged were counted. The team that had exchanged the most messages amongst eachother was to be declared the winner of the race.

Annual Dinner for HM's Judges

The Secretary of State for Justice organized the first annual dinner for His Majesty's Judges at Mansion House in London. On 22 March 2025, invitations were sent, and the itinerary was shared. The guest list included His Majesty the King, the Prince of Wales, the Lord Chief Justice, the Master of the Rolls, the Lady High Chancellor, all living former judges who served at the Royal Courts of Justice, and all recognized barristers.

Tea at Chequers

In an effort to establish a new tradition, the Viscount Kirkwall extended an invitation to his predecessor, the Lady Strathmore, for tea at the Chequers Estate. The Lady Strathmore accepted the invitation. and the two met on 23 March 2025. During the event the Lady Strathmore and the Viscount Kirkwall spoke about the change in Government.

Establishment of the National Statistics Office

On 26 March 2025, the Viscount Kirkwall nominated Nicholas Burke to the office of Secretary of State for the National Statistics Office. On the same day, the National Statistics Secretary released an statement detailing the responsibilities of the newly created Department.

Economic Policy

Flexible Economy (Foundation) Act 2025

On the second day of the Kirkwall Premiership, the Viscount Kirkwall, in his capacity as Chancellor of the Exchequer, introduced the Flexible Economy (Foundation) Act 2025 to the House of Commons. In his inaugural statement from HM's Treasury, the Viscount Kirkwall cited the ongoing debate over the sustainability of the economy, which had persisted for months, as his primary motivation for drafting the Act. He explained that the legislation aimed to provide a resolution to the debate, proposing a flexible economy in which governments, at their discretion, could either withdraw resources from the economy or invest heavily in it. The Viscount Kirkwall described this approach as a suitable compromise between those advocating for the abolition of the economy and those pushing for increased investment. The Flexible Economy Foundation Act 2025 was intended to replace the Exchequer (Regional Economy) Act that had been in force since 2023.

Foreign Policy

Enactment of an Embassy Policy

On 22 March 2025, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, the Duke of Warwick, issued an embassy policy for public consultation. The policy outlined guidelines for the construction of consulates and embassies, as well as restrictions and preferences regarding diplomatic alignment and the expansion of international relations. Before the introduction of this policy, the Empire had no formal embassy regulations.

Establishment of the Diplomatic Registry

On 25 March 2025, the Secretary of State for the Foreign Office, the Duke of Warwick, published a diplomatic registry. This registry included an overview of the allies of the Empire of Great Britain, details of the representatives who represented the Empire to these allies, and relevant treaties pertaining to the alliances. The release of this registry restored insight into the diplomatic relationships between the Empire of Great Britain and its allies.

Reintroduction of His Majesty's Diplomatic Service

On 24 March 2025, following a comprehensive review, it was determined that the Empire of Great Britain had no diplomats stationed in any of its allied regions. In response, the Kirkwall Premiership appointed members of His Majesty's Cabinet to these allied regions to reestablish diplomatic ties. The seven allied regions were assigned to five diplomats, thereby officially restoring diplomatic relations. The members of Cabinet as well as Josephine Carew, The Countess of Strathmore were appointed as ambassadors within His Majesty's Diplomatic Service.

Closure of all Consulates

The Secretary of State for the Foreign Office, the Duke of Warwick, reviewed the activity of all the existing consulates. During this review, it was found that the Balder Region ended diplomatic ties with the Empire of Great Britain nine months prior to the review but the consulate still existed. The review also brought to light that no contact had been established with the Spiritus Region for over an year. The review also found that the Campfire Region and the 10KI never posted in the consulate at the Empire of Great Britain, which the latter for the last time referred to in a government capacity more than a year ago. Furthermore, it was found that the last post concerning the URA Region was made in March 2023, more than two years ago. The Kirkwall Premiership in response closed all of the consulates.

Gameside Policy