UK government sets out 40 bills in King’s Speech for ‘decade of national renewal’

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Sir Keir Starmer has set out the 40 bills he claims will provoke “a decade of national renewal” as he launched a King’s Speech plan for financial development that includes a giant function for the state and a serious improve to staff’ rights.

The new prime minister’s legislative plan — learn out by King Charles on the state opening of parliament on Wednesday — is a pick-and-mix of conventional Labour state intervention coupled with fiscal self-discipline and radical planning reforms beloved of the Tory proper.

Downing Street mentioned GB Energy, a brand new state-run firm, could be on the coronary heart of Starmer’s industrial technique and would “manage and operate” clear power tasks, in addition to work alongside the non-public sector.

One of the primary bills to be introduced will full the renationalisation of Britain’s rail operators, whereas native councils shall be given higher powers to develop their very own bus companies.

“National renewal is not a quick fix,” Starmer advised MPs as he promised to construct a brand new economic system the place “workers and business are united in the cause of wealth creation”.

Some enterprise leaders are nervous in regards to the government’s huge package deal of new employment rights and Rishi Sunak, former Conservative prime minister, warned they may make firms “less likely to invest, less likely to hire”.

Measures embody banning “exploitative” zero-hours contracts, ending “fire and rehire” practices, bettering entry to parental depart and sick pay for new staff, and making versatile working the default from day one for all staff.

The government’s employment rights invoice would additionally make it simpler for commerce unions to take strike motion by eradicating Conservative laws from the previous decade that imposed what Labour calls “unnecessary restrictions on trade union activity”.

Unions welcomed the commitments and Downing Street mentioned Starmer noticed the reforms as important in making a “more productive workforce”.

But Stephen Phipson, chief govt of producers’ commerce physique Make UK, mentioned the government should work with business to “avoid unintended consequences which could harm labour market flexibility where it currently works in the interests of both employer and employee”.

Starmer has vowed to be “unideological” in his method and the planning reforms in the King’s Speech mirror some of Liz Truss’s deregulatory zeal from her quick time as Conservative prime minister in 2022.

A planning and infrastructure invoice would restrict potential obstacles to new developments in designated areas. The government mentioned it could “enable democratic engagement with how, not if, homes and infrastructure is built”.

“Now is the time to take the brakes off Britain,” Starmer mentioned. “I’m determined to create wealth for people up and down the country.”

King Charles’s look on the state opening marks the beginning of a parliament that might run till 2029.

With Labour’s huge House of Commons majority, Starmer hopes he can preside over a interval of stability in Britain after the turmoil of the post-Brexit period.

The prime minister’s focus since his landslide election victory on July 4 has been on development — together with taking over “the blockers” of new housebuilding and infrastructure tasks.

Some 15 bills are grouped underneath the heading “economic stability and growth”, and have a draft measure on audit reform and company governance.

Other measures embody devolved powers for English areas over financial growth, plans to convey rail companies underneath state management when franchises expire, and new authorized duties for the Office for Budget Responsibility, the fiscal watchdog.

Starmer may even choose up three bills that have been launched by Sunak however ran out of parliamentary time earlier than the election: a phased ban on smoking, reforms to offer renters extra rights, and the creation of a brand new soccer regulator in England.

Sunak, the Conservatives’ interim chief, has mentioned he’ll present “effective opposition” however wouldn’t try to dam measures for social gathering political causes.

“The Labour party promised no tax rises on working people and no plans for tax rises beyond what’s in their manifesto, in full knowledge of the public finances,” Sunak mentioned.

“They can’t now claim that things are worse than they thought and renege on these pledges.”

Separately, the government launched a toddler poverty job pressure on Wednesday led by work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall and training secretary Bridget Phillipson after Labour pledged to ship an “ambitious strategy” to scale back deprivation. 

Starmer is about to face a revolt by some Labour MPs over the two-child welfare profit cap which restricts assist to the primary two youngsters in most households.

Removing the cap would price £3.4bn a 12 months, in response to the Institute for Fiscal Studies think-tank. 

The Scottish National social gathering and a number of other backbench Labour MPs plan to desk an modification to the King’s Speech calling for the cap to be lifted. A vote will happen on the discretion of Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons Speaker. 

Additional reporting by Rafe Uddin, Delphine Strauss, Michael O’Dwyer and Anna Gross