Housebuilding, railways, House of Lords reform: what to expect in the King’s Speech | King’s Speech

Keir Starmer’s government will set out its legislative agenda for this parliamentary session in the King’s Speech on Wednesday. The packed speech is expected to contain more than 30 bills, including measures to launch a national housebuilding programme, strengthen workers’ rights, crack down on human trafficking and add millions of voters to the electoral roll.

Democracy Bill

The king’s speech is expected to include a democracy bill to introduce automatic voter registration. It could also seek to deliver on Labour’s pledge to reduce the UK voting age to 16.

There have also been discussions about redrawing constituency boundaries based on population, to reflect the total population rather than the number of registered voters living there. Some experts and MPs say the current system is unfair because it creates unbalanced constituencies, with MPs from disadvantaged neighbourhoods having to represent much larger populations.

Budget Responsibility Bill

The speech will include a bill that would allow the economic watchdog to publish independent forecasts of major budget events. The aim is to avoid a repeat of Liz Truss’s disastrous mini-budget in autumn 2022, which was delivered without an independent assessment from the Office for Budgetary Responsibility. Truss’s mini-budget contained billions of dollars in unfunded tax cuts, which triggered panic in markets and led to a collapse in the value of the pound.

Housing Construction Bill

Building homes will be at the heart of the government’s programme, and the King’s Speech is expected to include a bill setting out how this will be achieved. In one of her first acts in government, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced plans to reform the planning system and reintroduce mandatory housing targets.

“Take Back Control” Bill

One of the highlights of the speech will be a “take back control” bill – to borrow the evocative phrase used by the Brexit campaign – aimed at devolving more powers to local authorities. Starmer has described this as a “comprehensive approach” to devolution.

The legislation is set to give mayors and councils new powers over skills, energy, planning and transport, including the power to reinstate cancelled bus routes and set affordable fares. Labour has promised the biggest changes to bus transport in a generation.

Workers’ Rights Bill

The speech will focus on the landmark Workers’ Rights Bill, which Labour has pledged to introduce in its first 100 days in power. The package includes a crackdown on fixed-term contracts and fire-and-rehire practices, collective bargaining and flexible working rights, and equal pay protections for ethnic minority and disabled workers.

Border Security Bill

The speech is expected to include a border security bill aimed at tackling the problem of migrants and refugees crossing the Channel in small boats, and is expected to include proposals to give authorities powers to treat people smugglers as terrorists.

Crime and Police Bill

The speech is expected to announce a crackdown on anti-social behaviour under a proposed Crime and Policing Bill. The government is expected to make the criminal exploitation of a child a specific offence to tackle drug trafficking in county lines.

Energy Independence Bill

An Energy Independence Bill is set to herald the creation of a new state-owned energy company, GB Energy. The bill aims to help the government achieve its goal of creating a UK electricity system based entirely on clean energy by 2030.

Railway Bill

The speech is expected to include a bill to deliver on Labour’s promise to nationalise the railways within five years. Under the bill, a new public body would inherit contracts when they expire and take responsibility for running the services.

Lords Reform Bill

In its manifesto, Labour promised to legislate to reform the House of Lords immediately before consulting on replacing it with a new upper house. A House of Lords Reform Bill presented in the King’s Speech would remove the right of hereditary peers to sit and vote, and introduce a mandatory retirement age of 80. Peers over 80 will be able to retain their seats in the House of Lords until the next parliament.

Football Governance Bill

As promised in the Labour manifesto, the speech is expected to include a bill to establish an independent football regulator in England. This was a policy of Rishi Sunak’s government but was not enacted before the election.

Smoking Ban Bill

The speech is also expected to revive Sunak’s promised generational smoking ban, which will raise the legal age for purchasing tobacco products by one year each year.

Martyn’s Law

The speech is expected to include Martyn’s Law, which requires venues and local authorities to take steps to prepare for the possibility of a terrorist attack. It is named after Martyn Hett, one of the 22 people killed in the Manchester Arena terror attack in 2017.

Hillsborough Law

The Labour Party manifesto promised a Hillsborough Act, which would introduce a statutory duty of candour for civil servants in all forms of public inquiries and criminal investigations, and provide legal aid for victims of state-related disasters or deaths.