What can we expect by way of policies in the speech which is expected to contain more than 30 bills?
Tomorrow will be the day of the King’s speech, where the Labour Party will set out its legislative agenda for this session of parliament following its election win.
What can we expect by way of policies in the speech which is expected to contain more than 30 bills?
Workers’ rights bill
A flagship bill, the Labour Party has made much of its workers’ rights bill. The Labour Party has pledged a new deal for working people, and the bill is expected to include a range of measures, including a crackdown on zero-hours contracts and fire and rehire practices, collective bargaining and flexible working rights and equal pay protections for minority ethnic and disabled workers.
Constitutional change
The King’s speech is also expected to include a democracy bill to introduce automatic voter registration. It remains to be seen whether it will include the party’s manifesto commitment to reduce the UK voting age to 16.
Labour is also expected to include manifesto commitments to reform the House of Lords, with compulsory retirement of peers at the age of 80 and the removal of hereditary peers.
Housebuilding bill
The Labour Party has pledged to get Britain building again, with Rachel Reeves already announcing the return of mandatory housing targets. The King’s speech will further set out how the party will build more housing.
Fiscal responsibility bill
The Labour Party is keen to show that it is now the party of sound finances. The party has said that its fiscal rules are non-negotiable and will apply to every decision taken by a Labour government. It says that the current budget must move into balance, so that day-to-day costs are met by revenues and debt must be falling as a share of the economy by the fifth year of the forecast.
Legislation to empower the economic watchdog to publish independent forecasts of major fiscal events will also be brought forward to prevent a repeat of Liz Truss’ disastrous mini-budget.
Border security bill
The government has said that the speech will also include legislation related to its planned border security command, which the party has made a central plank of its plans to tackle people-smuggling gangs and tackle the illegal boat crossings.
Railways bill
The speech will also include legislation to enact Labour’s promise to nationalise the railways within five years.
Hillsborough law
Labour’s manifesto pledged a Hillsborough law, which would introduce a statutory duty of candour on public servants during all forms of public inquiry and criminal investigation.
Energy independence bill
Another of the party’s flagship policy proposals, the King’s speech is expected to include Labour’s plans to set up a publicly owned energy company, GB energy.
Crime and policing bill
A Crime and Policing Bill is expected to give police new powers to tackle anti-social behaviour, and introduce a new child exploitation offence in a bid to combat the use of children in “county lines” drug smuggling routes.
Smoking ban bill
The speech is also expected to resurrect Sunak’s promised generational smoking ban, which will raise the legal age for buying tobacco products by a year every year.
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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