King's Speech 2024: Labour's Vision for Britain Unveiled

King's Speech at a glance: Starmer's key pledges... and what was missing

King Charles has unveiled Sir Keir Starmer's blueprint for Britain, with draft laws on planning reform, employment rights and transport. Here is everything included in the King's Speech, along with some notable exceptions. Border security A Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill gives Sir Keir's Border Security Command powers to use counter-terrorism-style powers to investigate and smash the people smuggling gangs. Tougher penalties will be introduced for advertising people smuggling services and supplying materials to organised crime gangs such as boats, motors and safety belts. The King's Speech confirms the new Command will be funded by scrapping the Rwanda deportation scheme which will save £100 million in future payments and "tens of millions of pounds" that would have been paid for relocated migrants. It also pledges to clear the backlog of asylum claims including some 90,000 migrants who would have been sent to Rwanda and end the use of hotels to house them. Equality An Equality Bill will put race on the same footing as sex in equal pay claims to "create a more equal society and support a growing economy". Under the reforms, ethnic minorities and disabled people will have a "full right to equal pay" enshrined in law, bringing their legal protections on par with those of women. In Labour's view, this would make it "much easier" for people from minority groups to bring a claim against their employer because they would no longer have to prove "direct discrimination". Commentary Labour's race equality act will only divide Britain further Read more Renters' rights A Renters' Rights Bill will abolish Section 21 "no-fault evictions" and empower tenants to challenge rent increases "designed to force them out by the back door". It will also crack down "bidding wars" driving up prices for renters and give tenants the right to request a pet, which landlords cannot "unreasonably refuse". Awaab's Law, which forces social landlords to repair mouldy homes, will be extended to the private rented sector, along with a "decent homes standard" to ensure properties are "secure and hazard free". The Bill will also make it illegal for landlords to discriminate against tenants receiving benefits or those with children, and support "quicker, cheaper" resolutions when there are disputes, while giving councils new investigating powers to fine "bad actors". Meanwhile, it will create a "digital private rented sector database" to bring together key information for landlords, tenants, and councils. Crime and policing Respect orders - a revamped form of Asbos - will give police powers to place restrictions on adults to tackle anti-social behaviour. Breaching the orders would be a crime, punishable by imprisonment and/or fines. The new Crime and Policing Bill will also give police new powers to quickly scrap noisy dirt and quad bikes causing havoc in neighbourhoods. An extra 13,000 neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs will be deployed as part of the crime crackdown. The new Crime and Policing Bill will also create a new specific offence of assaulting a shop worker and scrap the £200 limit on the amount of goods stolen so police are required to investigate such "low-level" thefts. It will also close loopholes which allow the sale of ninja swords and samurai swords, the type of weapon used to kill 14-year-old Daniel Anjorin in London earlier this year. Tech firm executives will face up to two years in jail if banned zombie knives and machetes are sold on their platforms under the new law. A terrorism Bill will introduce Martyn's Law, under which premises will be required to take preventative measures to mitigate against a terror attack. It is named after Martyn Hett, one of 22 victims of the Manchester Arena attack in 2017. A victims' Bill will give courts powers to force convicted offenders to attend their sentencing hearings, while there will be restrictions on the ability of sex offenders to change their names. Education A Children's Wellbeing Bill will deliver on Labour's manifesto pledges to introduce free breakfast clubs in every primary school and limit the number of branded uniform items that schools can require in a bid to cut costs for parents. It will also require academies to teach the national curriculum, bringing them in line with maintained schools. All teachers entering the classroom will be required to hold, or be working towards, Qualified Teacher Status, while support staff will be given a "national voice" when it comes to setting their pay and conditions. Elsewhere, the Bill will give Ofsted stronger powers to investigate unregistered independent schools and require all schools to work with councils on admissions and special needs. It will also strengthen safeguarding provisions and force local authorities to keep a register of children not attending school. Separately, Labour will establish Skills England, a body convening employers, unions, education and training providers to develop a "single picture" of Britain's skills needs. Planning A Planning and Infrastructure Bill will speed up the planning process to help build 1.5 million homes by 2029. It will reform compulsory purchase rules to ensure that money paid to landowners is fair but not excessive. Town hall planning committees will be modernised, and planning authorities will be given extra capacity to provide quick decisions. The way critical infrastructure is approved will also be streamlined, allowing upgrades to the National Grid and onshore wind turbines. Workers' rights An Employment Rights Bill will increase the minimum wage, taking account the cost of living and removing discriminatory age bands. It will ban exploitative zero-hour contracts, ensuring that workers have a right to a contract that reflects the number of hours they regularly work. The Bill will end the practice known as "fire and rehire", where people lose work-based benefits. It will extend flexible working, making it the default from day one in employment that firms must seek to accommodate people's requests. Tory trade union legislation since 2010 will be repealed and benefits such as parental leave and sick pay will be available from day one on the job. It will bring in a new "fair pay agreement" for the adult social care sector. Transport A Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill will bring rail companies back into public ownership when their contracts expire, or if they fail their customers. There will be no compensation. A Railways Bill will set up a new body, Great British Railways, to manage the rail network and bring in a simpler ticket system and automatic compensation for delays. Commentary We lived through British Rail. Nationalisation is not the answer Read more A High Speed Rail (Crewe to Manchester) Bill will provide powers to improve train lines in the north of England. It will not reverse Rishi Sunak's decision to cancel the Birmingham to Manchester leg of HS2. A Better Buses Bill will allow councils to launch publicly owned bus companies and give operators greater responsibilities to provide routes in certain areas. Economy A Budget Responsibility Bill will introduce a "fiscal lock" to ensure that all future Budgets must be subject to an independent assessment by the Office for Budget Responsibility. This is designed to avoid the mistakes of the disastrous Liz Truss "mini Budget". A National Wealth Fund Bill will establish a £7.3 billion fund to invest in projects across the country which can deliver growth. It will incorporate the British Business Bank and the UK Infrastructure Bank. A Bank Resolution (Recapitalisation) Bill will make it easier for the Bank of England to help small banks and expand the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. Companies An Arbitration Bill will support more efficient dispute resolution between firms. The hope is that it will attract more international legal business. A Product Safety and Metrology Bill will support businesses by reforming the way products are regulated, with a particular focus on the opportunities of Artificial Intelligence and the dangers of e-bikes. A draft Audit Reform and Corporate Governance Bill will set up a new register to ensure businesses report their financial position truthfully. Pensions A Pension Schemes Bill will increase the amount that people who pay into private pensions can draw on in retirement. It will prevent people from losing track of their pension pots from different companies they have worked for by consolidating them into one. Trust-based defined contribution schemes will have to demonstrate they deliver value for money. People with terminal illnesses will be able to receive money at an earlier stage. Football A Football Governance Bill will introduce an independent football regulator to ensure the financial stability of clubs across England, a plan initially proposed by the Tories but shelved after Mr Sunak called the general election. Under the reforms, professional clubs will need to have a licence to operate. They will also need to seek permission from fans to change their home shirt colours and get the watchdog's approval to sell their stadium or relocate. Meanwhile, the legislation will bar clubs from joining closed-shop, breakaway or unlicensed leagues following the row over proposals to form a European "Super League". Health The new Government will resurrect Mr Sunak's flagship smoking ban, barring anyone born after 2009 from buying cigarettes. The legislation had cross-party support, but ran out of time at the end of the last parliament. Labour's Tobacco and Vapes Bill will introduce a "progressive smoking ban" to gradually end the sale of tobacco products across the country. It will also crack down on vapes marketed to children and give ministers new powers to regulate flavours and packaging to "help stop the next generation from becoming hooked on nicotine". Conversion therapy Labour is pushing ahead with its plans to ban conversion therapy despite fears that outlawing the practice, which attempts to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity, would risk criminalising parents who try to help children who think they are trans. Currently in draft form, the Conversion Practices Bill proposes a "fully trans-inclusive" ban on actions not covered by existing legislation. A briefing on the Bill states that it must not outlaw "legitimate psychological support, treatment, or non-directive counselling". "It must also respect the important role that teachers, religious leaders, parents and carers can have in supporting those exploring their sexual orientation or gender identity," it adds. Lords, young voters and the two-child benefit cap: everything Starmer left out While the King's Speech does deliver on Labour's pledge to strip hereditary peers of their seats, there is no mention of its commitment to force members to retire at 80. The latter measure had attracted criticism from Labour peers, who labelled it "ageist". A briefing on the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill says it will be a "short and narrowly focused" piece of legislation to "bring about modernisation by removing the right of the remaining hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords". There is no mention of Labour's second manifesto commitment to "introduce a mandatory retirement age", meaning that "at the end of the Parliament in which a member reaches 80 years of age, they will be required to retire from the House of Lords". Votes at 16 Labour's pledge to lower the voting age to 16 does not feature at all in the speech. It is understood that it will not be enacted in this parliamentary session. The policy was set out in the party's manifesto, which said: "We will increase the engagement of young people in our vibrant democracy, by giving 16- and 17-year-olds the right to vote in all elections." Two-child benefit cap Despite coming under pressure from campaigners, Sir Keir has stood firm on his refusal to scrap the two-child benefit cap. He now faces a potential backbench revolt, with Kim Johnson, the Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside, pledging to lay an amendment to the King's Speech to enact the change.

What was missing from the King's speech? From votes for 16-year-olds to leasehold reform

A crackdown on overseas workers and an AI bill were also missing from the speech The king's speech might have contained 40 proposed bills, but some previously mooted ideas were missing. Below is what it might have contained, but did not. This was in the Labour manifesto and remains a commitment, but failed to make the cut for a first round of bills that Keir Starmer and his team want to be mainly focused on the economy and growth. Another reason for delay is the idea that expanding the voting system is most important ahead of a general election and - all being well - there will not be one of those for a while. There has nonetheless been speculation that it could be dropped altogether. Another bill, one touted by the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, would require employers to limit the use of overseas workers and promote UK staff, in part through more focus on skills training. While the king's speech does have a "skills England bill", the change connected to overseas staff has been delayed for now. Among the measures predicted ahead of the speech was one intended to boost legal safeguards connected to the most advanced AI systems, which would mimic EU efforts to legislate on the issue rather than seeking voluntary codes. However, it has not appeared. There was one Lords-related bill in the speech, finally removing the last hereditary peers from the chamber. There was, however, no mention of another way to cut numbers in the house - making all those aged 80 or above step down. This could be because the move might not need legislation. But it could be a result of a pushback from some older peers and their supporters, pointing out that a number of 80-plus Lords members contribute significantly, and that a better metric than age might be activity. This did make the cut for the speech, promising an end to leasehold for new flats and measures to stop prohibitive ground rent charges. However, it will introduce as what is known as a draft bill, which are subject to consultation before being formally introduced. This can help iron out complexities - but campaigners on leasehold might worry it could mean some measures being watered down.