King Charles III delivered only his second royal speech on July 17, marking the State Opening of Parliament in 2024.
In it he sets out Labour’s vision for the country and the key legislation the government will begin work on in the coming months.
The party came to power in early July, ending 14 years of Conservative rule. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has been keen to get to work quickly, introducing a series of new bills aimed at changing the direction of the country.
“My government will be committed to uniting the country in our shared mission of national renewal,” Sir Keir said, delivering the King’s Speech.
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“We will serve every person, no matter how they vote, to strengthen the foundation of this nation for the long term. The era of politics focused on performance and self-interest at the expense of service is over.”
The King’s Speech included a total of 39 bills, some of which are likely to have major implications for the lives of British citizens.
Here are the major bills confirmed today and what they could mean for you:
Budget Responsibility Bill
It is the first piece of legislation announced by the King today, a signal from Labour of the importance it attaches to its mission of economic growth.
The bill will introduce a “budget lock” by requiring any major tax or spending changes to be subject to independent review by the Office for Budget Responsibility.
The policy has long been advocated by Labour and was detailed in the party’s manifesto. It is part of Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ vision of “securonomics”, which prioritises economic growth and wealth creation, while limiting state intervention.
Labour says the bill is designed “to ensure that the mistakes of Liz Truss’ ‘mini-budget’ cannot be repeated”.
Draft law on housing construction and urban planning
Building on Labour’s commitment to reintroduce mandatory housing targets of 1.5 million new homes over five years, the King’s Speech included the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.
The law will reform the planning process, speeding it up to allow for more housing and infrastructure to be built. The bill will also reform the rules on expropriation orders and support local planning authorities.
“The current planning regime constitutes a major brake on economic growth,” the government said.
“The Land Use and Infrastructure Bill will play a key role in addressing this constraint, paving the way for more housing and infrastructure across the country and supporting sustained economic growth.”
National Wealth Fund Bill
A new national wealth fund has been designed to attract billions of private sector investment to support UK growth.
Backed by £7.3bn of public funding, the fund is seeking to raise around triple that amount in private investment, from sources such as pension funds, to bolster the fund.
The bill also aims to align institutions such as the UK Infrastructure Bank and the British Business Bank to “mobilise private capital into the industries of the future”.
Pension Schemes Bill
According to Labour, the bill aims to support the 15 million people saving in private sector pension schemes, by aiming to increase the amount available to pension savers.
This would be done through measures such as the automatic pooling of citizens’ different pension funds and the introduction of a new framework for pension schemes.
The government estimates the bill could save the average worker more than £11,000 in their pension pot.
Workers’ Rights Bill
The Labour Party’s new workers’ rights bill includes some changes to employment law which it says are aimed at “making work pay”.
It is part of the government’s “New Deal for Working People”, which would be spearheaded by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner.
The measures include banning “exploitative” zero-hour contracts, ending “fire and rehire” practices, providing access to parental sick leave from the first day of work and strengthening statutory sick pay.
Making rail operators public
One of the new Labour government’s most radical ideas, the Passenger Rail Services Bill, will see train operators come into public ownership over the next few years.
The government says this is a “first step” towards wider reforms, so we won’t see it buying up all the rail companies just yet.
The process will instead see train operations transferred to the public sector as existing contracts expire or operators fail to meet their commitments.
The bill will also amend the law so that the designation of a public rail operator is the default solution.
Labor says the plan will save millions of dollars of taxpayers’ money currently paid in fees to private rail operators while allowing them to cut emissions.
The bill follows on from the Railways Bill – which aims to create a “unified and simplified” railway system – and confirms a commitment to improve rail links in the north of England.
UK Energy Bill
This bill, which is a flagship Labour Party project and the one on which it has devoted the most spending, allows Great British Energy to take off.
It will be a publicly owned energy company that owns, manages and operates clean energy projects across the UK.
The bill will allow the company to start investing and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband to start striking partnerships with the private sector.
Labour says the plan will make Britain energy independent, create new jobs, save households money and tackle climate change.
Water (Special Measures) Bill
This bill will deliver on Labour’s manifesto promise to crack down on water companies that fail to meet the needs of their customers or pollute rivers, lakes and seas.
The measures will see water companies subject to strict special measures. These will include making water company bosses personally liable for breaches of the law, giving the water regulator the power to ban bonus payments and introducing a new code of conduct for water companies.
There will also be new powers to impose automatic and severe fines on water companies, as well as real-time monitoring devices installed at sewer outlets to be independently monitored.
Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill
True to a key manifesto promise, Labour has introduced the bill, which it says aims to protect national security by deterring Channel crossings and prosecuting the people smugglers responsible.
It will give the new Border Security Command and law enforcement more powers to crack down on criminal gangs and toughen penalties for criminals involved.
The government also wants to improve the broken asylum system with this bill, making it more efficient and ending the use of hotels by clearing the backlog of asylum applications.
Tobacco and electronic cigarette bill
Taken up by Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government, this bill prohibits anyone born after January 1, 2009 from buying tobacco products at any time.
This would mean that today’s 15-year-olds – “Generation Alpha” – would never be able to buy a pack of cigarettes.
The bill will also prevent the deliberate advertising of e-cigarettes and products such as nicotine pouches to children, and strengthen controls on sales to minors.
Tenants’ Rights Bill
First introduced in 2023, the Tenant Reform Bill was scrapped after Rishi Sunak called the general election.
The Labour Party has now reintroduced it, with some slight differences.
The key measure will be the removal of section 21 “no-fault” eviction notices – the controversial power allowing landlords to evict tenants from their properties with two months’ notice without having to give a reason.
Labour is expected to strengthen the bill by allowing tenants to challenge “unreasonable” rent increases.
House of Lords Reform
Labour committed in its manifesto to constitutional change, and the King’s Speech took account of Labour’s planned reforms in the House of Lords.
Once this bill is passed, hereditary peers will no longer be able to sit or vote in the House of Lords.