The date of the State Opening of Parliament, which signals the formal start of a new parliamentary session, has been announced by the Commons Leader. A Parliament is the period of parliamentary time between one general election and the next.
The Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 sets the interval between general elections at five years. Each Parliament is usually divided into five parliamentary years called ‘sessions', beginning and ending in the spring.
The last State Opening of Parliament took place on Tuesday 11 May 2021, at the start of the 2021-22 parliamentary session. The ceremonies are marked by the Queen's Speech, which sets out the government's agenda for the upcoming session.
