(Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister Keir Starmer will flesh out Labour’s plans from border control to smoking as he sets out the new UK government’s legislative agenda for the coming Parliamentary session in a King’s Speech on Wednesday.
While the dry legalistic description of Labour’s planned bills will be delivered by King Charles III in a centuries-old tradition replete with pomp and circumstance in the House of Lords, the program and words are the government’s, and mark the priorities for Starmer as he seeks to deliver on his promise to change the way the country is run after 14 years of Conservative rule.
Starmer has said that his government’s priority is to boost economic growth, and toward that aim, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves has already outlined planning reforms and the creation of a new National Wealth Fund to leverage private investment.
“Now is the time to take the brakes off Britain,” Starmer said in an emailed statement from 10 Downing Street ahead of the King’s Speech. “Today’s new laws will take back control and lay the foundations of real change that this country is crying out for, creating wealth in every community and making people better off - supporting their ambitions, hopes and dreams.”
The King’s Speech, delivered at the State Opening of Parliament following the July 4 general election will include further proposals, including legislation to underpin the creation of a state-owned energy company and measures on workers’ rights, immigration and the nationalization of the railways. Some unfinished legislation from the tenure of Starmer’s Conservative predecessor, Rishi Sunak, including a progressive smoking ban, will also be included, according to people familiar with the matter who requested anonymity discussing plans that aren’t yet public.
Below is some of the key legislation expected to be detailed in the King’s Speech:
1. Budget Scrutiny
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves has stressed that economic growth under Labour will be founded on “a bedrock of economic stability.” In a nod to the economic chaos wrought by the massive unfunded package of tax cuts unveiled by Tory premier Liz Truss during her disastrous 7-week premiership in 2022, Labour will enshrine in law a commitment for future budgets to always be accompanied by an official forecast and scrutiny by the government’s fiscal adviser, the Office for Budget Responsibility.
2. Public Energy Company
A centerpiece of Labour’s election manifesto was to establish a publicly-owned clean power company, Great British Energy, capitalized with £8.3 billion ($10.8 billion) of public money and empowered to co-invest in key projects alongside industry. This will be set up in law as quickly as possible, in order to do deals with the private sector, people familiar with the matter said.
3. Planning
The government will introduce a bill to speed up and streamline the planning process to build more housing and infrastructure, No 10 said in a statement. Labour sees planning reform as one of the key levers it can pull to boost economic growth.
4. Employment Rights
There will be a bill to enshrine in law the sweeping set of reforms to workers’ rights long-promised by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner — though in a sign of potential tensions in cabinet, it’ll be steered through by Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds. The reforms have been the subject of a tug-of-war between unions, who are close to Rayner and responsible for a large chunk of Labour Party funding, and businesses, who Reynolds and Reeves have tried to woo in recent months. As part of its passage through Parliament, there will be a consultation with business about the implementation of the package. Labour has publicly committed to “introducing” the legislation in its first 100 days of government.
5. Renting Reforms
The new government plans to resuscitate a bill from the outgoing Tory administration to reform the home rentals market, including ending “no-fault evictions,” which allow landlords to repossess a property without having to establish fault on the tenant’s part.
6. Devolution
Starmer has promised a radical devolution of power from the central administration to the nations, regions and cities. A new bill will hand new powers to mayors on transport, skills, energy, and planning, giving them crucial responsibility for economic growth in their regions.
7. Crime
A bill is planned to deliver on Labour’s pledges to increase neighborhood policing and crack down on anti-social behavior, including tougher sentences for assaults on shop workers.
8. Border Security
The new administration doesn’t see the need to repeal the Conservative government’s legislation designed to implement plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, even though it’s scrapped the policy. But it does plan new legislation to give its new Border Security Command counter-terror powers.
9. Counter Terrorism
Starmer’s government plans to pass “Martyn’s Law” — Legislation to strengthen the security of public venues and events spaces against the threat of terrorism. It’s named for Martyn Hett, one of the 22 victims of a terrorist attack on a concert arena in Manchester in 2017.
10. Railways
Labour has pledged to re-nationalize railway franchises by bringing them back into public ownership under the umbrella of a unified body, Great British Railways, as and when contracts with existing operators expire.
11. Smoking Ban
Legislation to gradually phase out the sale of cigarettes was promised by the outgoing Tories, but hadn’t completed its legislative passage when Parliament was dissolved for the election. The bill also sought to crack down on youth vaping with rules to reduce the appeal and availability of the products to children. Labour will bring it back, according to people familiar with the matter, meaning children born after Jan. 1, 2009 will never be able to legally buy cigarettes in the UK.
12. Mental Health
Labour said in its manifesto that mental health legislation is “woefully out of date,” with poor provision for people with autism and learning difficulties. It pledged reforms to give patients more rights and choice. Health Secretary Wes Streeting has also said too many people are written off work for mental health reasons, and his party has promised to reform employment support so that those who are able to work do so.
13. Education bill
In an effort to stem absenteeism in schools, the government plans to create a register of children who persistently do not attend school, a growing problem since the Covid pandemic.
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14. Artificial Intelligence
Legislation designed to protect the UK from the risks of the most powerful AI models is also expected to feature for the first time in the King’s Speech. Sunak had established the AI Safety Institute earlier this year, but was reluctant to place it into law. Inclusion of an AI bill signals that Starmer’s administration wants to go further in developing governance and protections around the emerging technology.
--With assistance from Joe Mayes, Ellen Milligan and Isabella Ward.
(Updates to add Starmer quote in fourth paragraph, chart and legislation sections on planning and artificial intelligence.)
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