In a speech to Parliament, King Charles presented the Labour government’s plans for new legislation. The comprehensive speech outlined 39 bills to be passed during the next parliamentary session. Some of these bills were originally proposed by the previous government but were not passed before the election.
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will simplify the process for approving critical infrastructure and revise regulations on the compulsory purchase of land. Renters’ Rights Bill will prevent no-fault evictions and extend building safety regulations, known as Awaab’s Law, to private renters. The Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill will reduce ground rent for leaseholders and prohibit forfeiture over minor unpaid debts.
The Great British Energy Bill will establish a state-run energy investment and generation firm, GB Energy. The National Wealth Fund Bill will establish a new fund to invest £7.3bn over five years in infrastructure and green industry. The Water (Special Measures) Bill will make private water company executives personally responsible for any violations and empower the water regulator to prohibit bonuses.
The Passenger Railway Services Bill allows the government to renationalise nearly all passenger rail services at the end of their current contracts. The Railways Bill will create Great British Railways to oversee train and track infrastructure. The Better Buses Bill will make it easier for local leaders to take over running bus services. The High-Speed Rail Bill will incorporate powers to construct new rail infrastructure in northern England.
The Crime and Policing Bill will empower police to tackle antisocial behaviour and make assaulting store staff a specific offence. The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill will enact Martyn’s Law, mandating large venues to put measures in place to handle the threat of terrorism. A new Victims, Courts, and Public Protection Bill will require offenders to attend sentencing hearings and eliminate parental rights for child sex offenders.
The Border Security, Asylum, and Immigration Bill will allow police to exercise counter-terrorism powers to combat gangs moving migrants into the UK. The Employment Rights Bill will abolish the exploitative use of zero-hour contracts and introduce a range of new employee rights pledged before the election. The Race Equality Bill will extend the right to file equal pay claims under the Equality Act to ethnic minorities and disabled persons and expand pay reporting requirements for larger businesses.
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will prohibit smoking progressively by reintroducing legislation first proposed by Rishi Sunak. The Mental Health Bill will tighten regulations on sectioning individuals and adjust rules for individuals with learning disabilities. A Children’s Wellbeing Bill will mandate councils in England to retain records of non-full-time school-educated children and establish breakfast clubs in all primary schools in England. The Skills England Bill will create a new, decentralised training body named Skills England. A draft Conversion Practices Bill will place new restrictions on “abusive” sexual orientation and gender identity-changing practices.
The Digital Information and Smart Data Bill will facilitate purchasing age-restricted goods with digital ID and pre-employment checks. A Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will implement regulations to protect essential infrastructure from cyberattacks. The English Devolution Bill will expedite the progression of more power transfer to elected mayors in combined council areas. An unnamed bill will introduce a “Hillsborough law,” which will establish a legal mandate for public officials to be truthful in the aftermath of fatal disasters.
Finally, a Budget Responsibility Bill will require official predictions ahead of Budgets. The Pension Schemes Bill will introduce new regulations and requirements for private-sector pension plans. A bill will allow the Crown Estate to borrow from the government to finance new infrastructure projects. The Football Governance Bill will enact legislation to establish a counsel of top five division men’s football. An Armed Forces Commissioner bill will introduce an Armed Forces Commissioner, with the authority to inspect substandard equipment and military accommodation.
While there was no AI regulation bill in the speech, ministers noted that they will bring “appropriate legislation” to regulate the most potent AI models in the near future. There was no bill for the elimination of the two-child allowance cap introduced in 2016, despite robust advocacy by lawmakers. The Labour Party intends to adopt legislation to lower the voting age to 16 at a later time. A bill to lower the House of Lords’ retirement age to 80 will follow the hereditary peers’ removal, with ministers noting that this is the first step in broader upper chamber reform
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