The King’s Speech – Ten things to know
This year’s King’s Speech emphasises wealth creation across the entire country and aims to enhance the living standards of working people.
- Create wealth in every community
- Build houses and infrastructure
- Improve transport and create more jobs
- Secure clean energy
Introducing over 35 bills and draft bills to promote economic growth, including legislation that enforces stringent spending rules. The legislative package prioritises economic growth by accelerating housing and infrastructure development, enhancing transportation, generating employment opportunities, and ensuring sustainable, clean, green energy.
Additionally, these new laws empower local leaders to make decisions that benefit their communities – helping to make every part of the country better off.
Here are ten things to know about our new programme of legislation, and what they mean for you.
1) Kickstart economic growth
We are making sure nobody can play fast and loose with public finances – and that we avoid chaos which leaves families with spiralling bills.
A new bill will strengthen the role of the Office of Budget Responsibility, meaning significant fiscal announcements must be properly scrutinised and that taxpayers’ money is respected.
And we will introduce a Bill to ensure the National Wealth Fund will make transformational investments across the UK.
2) Get Britain Building
We’ll get Britain Building, through planning reform, as we speed up the delivery of high-quality housing and infrastructure.
This will help provide more housing across the country and support sustained economic growth.
We will also give more rights to people renting their homes, including putting an end to unfair no-fault evictions and reforming grounds for possession.
3) Make work pay
The UK Employment Rights Bill is a significant step towards delivering this Government’s plan to make work pay – the biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation.
A ban exploitative zero-hours contracts, end fire and rehire, and introduce basic employment rights from day one.
And through the changes to the Low Pay Commission, it will make sure the minimum wage is a genuine living wage.
4) Hand back power to communities
The new legislation will help to create wealth in every community and hand power back to local leaders.
UK Government will introduce a bill to move power out of Westminster and back to those who know their areas best – giving local leaders the tools they need to drive growth.
New laws will give more powers to metro mayors and combined authorities, helping support local plans that bring wealth to communities.
5) Provide better transport
To put our rail system back on track with new laws to deliver for passengers.
New laws will improve the railways by reforming rail franchising, establishing Great British Railways and bringing train operators into public ownership.
And to introduce a bill to allow local leaders to take control of their bus services.
6) Make Britain a clean energy superpower
“We’re committed to making Britain a clean energy superpower by 2030 – helping lower household bills for good over time. “
A new bill will help set up Great British Energy, a publicly owned clean-power company that will help boost energy security, create jobs and build supply chains in every corner of the UK.
Also, introduce legislation that helps unlock investment in energy infrastructure, supports sustainable aviation fuel production and strengthens the water regulator’s powers.
7) Strengthen our border
The government will strengthen the border with a new bill that modernises the asylum and immigration system, including launching a new Border Security Command.
The command will deploy more police and investigators to smash the criminal smuggling gangs, tackling the problem at source. The bill will give law enforcement new enhanced counter-terror style powers to destroy the evil business model of human trafficking.
8) Take back our streets
To introduce laws to strengthen community policing, giving the police greater powers to deal with anti-social behaviour and strengthen support for victims.
New laws will improve the safety and security of public venues and help keep the public safe from terrorism, and we will bring forward plans to halve violence against women and girls.
9) Break down barriers to opportunity
To take action to raise educational standards and break down barriers to opportunity. This includes measures to help people back into employment after the pandemic and a bill to raise standards in education and promote children’s wellbeing.
To end tax breaks for private schools – funding 6,500 new teachers – and set up Skills England to make sure we have the highly trained workforce that England needs.
The plan also includes reforming the apprenticeship levy and setting out work on legislation to enshrine the full right to equal pay in law.
And launch an independent football regulator to ensure greater sustainability in the game and stronger protections for fans.
10) Improve the NHS
Our government will take steps to improve the National Health Service for everyone – including reducing waiting times and focusing on prevention.
We’ll improve mental health provision for young people and make sure it’s given the same attention and focus as physical health and we will modernise the Mental Health Act, so it is fit for the twenty first century, ensuring all patients are treated with dignity and respect.
Our plan includes introducing legislation to help stop young people smoking and vaping, and to restrict advertising junk food to children, along with the sale of high caffeine energy drinks to children.