The Crime and Policing Bill aims to rebuild neighbourhood policing and expand the powers of HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services to intervene in failing police forces. The Federation of Independent Retailers welcomed the legislation’s new specific offence for assaulting shop workers and measures to tackle shoplifting, stating that the UK needs “real action to stem the overwhelming tide of crime against retailers and their staff”.
The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill will require those responsible for certain premises and events to take steps to mitigate the impact of a terrorist attack or reduce potential arm in the event of an attack occurring. The bill is also known as ‘Martyn’s Law’ which stems from a campaign led by a mother of one of the victims of the Manchester Arena bombings. The previous government had already introduced a draft version of the Bill, which had a consultation back in February.
The Board Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill was also announced in the Speech and aims to place stronger penalties on those guilty of organised people-trafficking and speed up returns for individuals coming from safe countries. This followed Keir Starmer’s decision to scrap the Rwanda scheme. In addition to the Bill, the Government also announced £84 million in funding over the next three years to address illegal migration and further initiatives with the Global South and European partners.
The Armed Forces Commissioner Bill will create a new role of an Armed Forces Commissioner, who will serve as a direct and independent contact point for serving personnel and their families, strengthen parliamentary oversight of issues facing Armed Forces personnel, and be fully empowered to investigate and highlight issues. The treatment of serving Armed Forces personnel, particularly within the context of concerns over the dwindling size of the UK’s military, has become an increasingly salient political issue. The previous Government commissioned a report on the incentivisation of UK Armed Forces personnel, and a parliamentary inquiry into Women in the Armed Forces in 2021 received an ‘almost unprecedented level of engagement’, with around one in ten currently serving female personnel contributing. The Bill will most likely be led by Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard, but it could also give newly appointed Veterans and People Minister Al Carns a chance to flex his muscles.
Justice ⚖️
The Victims, Courts and Public Protection Bill might be taken through by MoJ ministers but it’ll be one the Prime Minister will have saved a special bottle of champagne for when it eventually receives royal assent. In what Guiness could easily use in their next ‘Good things come to those who wait’ advert, the Bill comes 9 years after Keir Starmer (as a newly elected backbench MP in 2015) introduced his first private members bill – the Victims of Crime Etc Bill – to Parliament. The Bill he’ll now push through with a 172 seat majority is a close replica of that almost decade-old PMB that didn’t even get the privilege of a second reading. The new Bill seeks to strengthen the powers for the Victims’ Commissioner, require offenders to attend their sentencing hearings – something the last Government swiftly promised to do after the Lucy Letby trial, and introduce further rules for sex offenders – including restrictions on changing their names.
The Employment Rights Bill will introduce a raft of reforms on zero-hour contracts, ‘fire and rehire’, flexible working, maternity leave rights, enforcement of workplace rights and trade union legislation. The planned legislation had a bumpy ride during the election: a perceived watering down of the pledges and a promise to consult with business contributed to Unite, one of the UK’s biggest unions, refusing to endorse Labour’s manifesto as a whole. Legislation on employment rights has been overpromised and underdelivered of late, with the Conservatives including an Employment Bill in the 2019’s Queen’s Speech but failing to ever publish the draft Bill. Perhaps due to this, Labour has pledged to introduce employment legislation within 100 days. We’re expecting Business and Trade Minister Justin Madders – Shadow Employment Rights Minister before the election – could play a big role taking the Bill through Parliament.
The draft Audit Reform and Corporate Governance Bill also made it into the Speech. It will replace the existing regulator (the Financial Reporting Council) with the Audit, Reporting and Governance Authority and give it the powers it needs to tackle bad financial reporting; investigate and sanction company directors for serious failures in their financial reporting and audit responsibilities; and more. This legislation has been long delayed, having been controversially omitted from last year’s King’s Speech despite persistent calls for an overhaul of auditing regulation and oversight. Its inclusion this year has been widely welcomed, including by the Financial Reporting Council.
With the former Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance now Minister for Science, Research and Innovation, his early time in the House of Lords is likely to be spent overseeing the passage of three pieces of legislation… The Digital Information and Smart Data Bill has been announced, after the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill failed to make it through the last Parliament before Dissolution. The DISD Bill will establish Digital Verification Services, support the development of a National Underground Asset Register, and modernise and strengthen the Information Commissioners Office.
The Product Safety and Metrology Bill will give the Government powers to address current and future threats and hazards from products, with the fire risk from e-bikes and lithium-ion batteries highlighted as one such threat. With no Artificial Intelligence Bill announced, the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will give greater powers to regulators to push more firms to improve their cyber-security defences. As today has made abundantly clear, cybersecurity is one of the most important aspects of modern business. A ‘defect’ in a software update from the cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike has led to major transport, banking and healthcare issues.
The Budget Responsibility Bill, which will require any significant Government spending changes to be subject to an assessment by the Office for Budget Responsibility, is less legislation and more of a slap down aimed at a certain former Prime Minister. It was not well received by Liz Truss, who criticised references to her leadership in the announcement (which is technically a Civil Service, not party political, document), after which it was hastily scrubbed. Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones will likely lead on the Bill, although we shouldn’t rule out the Chancellor herself getting into the trenches for some Truss-bashing. The Treasury will also be taking through the National Wealth Fund Bill – to unlock £7.3bn of funding over five years in low carbon investments, and key to the Government’s wider Green Prosperity Plan.
The Children’s Wellbeing Bill is going to be a catch-all, whopper of a Bill that brings in a whole host of changes to schools, from the introduction of new safeguarding arrangements, disciplinary procedures, better absentee records, SEND inclusion, and changes to inspections; to free breakfast clubs in all primary schools and limits on required branded school uniforms and PE kits to reduce parental costs. Expect the Bill to have long readings, an even longer committee stage and multiple consultations. Ministers and Shadow Ministers will have their work cut out getting into the brief on this one as the list of interested and affected stakeholders will be lengthy. The most talked about education measure is of course the removal of the exemption from VAT on private school fees – something Rachel Reeves said during the election will be included in the first post-Budget Finance Bill, and will likely come into force from 2025.
The Skills England Bill will establish a new ‘Skills England’ body, transferring powers from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, and – although no details were given – will introduce reforms to the floundering Apprenticeship Levy, which had a pot of £3.3bn of unspent funds this time last year… Business groups have seized on Labour’s pledge for a “new partnership with employers at its heart” through Skills England; which, when coupled with its plans for a new Industrial Strategy Council, has got pulses racing.
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill has been revived after failing to complete its passage in the previous session. Originally presented by the Conservatives in March 2024, the Bill will introduce a smoking ban to gradually end the sale of tobacco products across the country, meaning children born on or after 1 January 2009 will never be able to legally be sold cigarettes. It will also stop vapes and other consumer nicotine products being deliberately branded and advertised to appeal to children, and will allow Trading Standards to take swifter action to enforce the law and close loopholes. Over 1,400 doctors, academics, healthcare workers and public health professionals wrote to the Prime Minister and Health Secretary ahead of the King’s Speech, calling for the legislation to be reintroduced without delay, with Wes Streeting vowing to ‘create the first smoke-free generation’. Public Health Minister Andrew Gwynne is also likely to lead on the Bill, marking his first visit in the role at QMUL Stop Smoking Services. The Government is yet to clarify its plan for banning disposable vapes, a measure also announced but not completed under Rishi Sunak.
The Mental Health Bill will amend the Mental Health Act 1983, which Labour has described as ‘woefully out of date’, by taking forward the vast majority of Professor Sir Simon Wessley’s 2017 recommendations for legislative reform. Measures in the Bill include: ensuring that detention and treatment under the Mental Health Act takes place only when necessary; further limiting the extent to which people with a learning disability and/or autistic people can be detained and treated; strengthening the voice of patients; removing police stations and prisons as places of safety; and supporting offenders with severe mental health problems to access the care they need. The King’s Speech confirmed that these reforms will take a number of years to implement, as more clinical and judicial staff will be needed. Mental Health Minister Baroness Merron will hopefully provide more detail on the phased introduction of these reforms in due course.
The Great British Energy Bill addresses one of the Labour Party’s largest manifesto pledges, making provisions to set up GB Energy, a publicly owned energy company, which will own, manage and operate clean power projects across the country, with a capitalisation of £8.3 billion of new money over the course of the Parliament. The setting up of the energy company will include opening a headquarters, based in Scotland, and follows on from Energy Secretary Ed Miliband’s first steps in Government, which include scrapping the ban on onshore wind and appointing Chris Stark, former Chair of the Climate Change Committee, to lead the Mission Control for 2030.
The Water (Special Measures) Bill will address the management of the water sector, and has been introduced following repeated criticism of the previous Government’s handling of the water industry. The Bill will introduce measures such as stronger fines, personal criminal liability for water bosses, and mandatory 24/7 monitoring of sewage spills. It builds on the previous Government’s Plan for Water, which at the time was heavily criticised for not taking strong enough measures, and will likely receive large support in the Commons, with several of the parties championing similar calls in their campaigns. However there is also expected to be criticism over the Bill for not going far enough, as no provisions for renationalisation have been made. While the ministerial responsibilities for Defra are yet to be announced, it is likely that this Bill will be led by Environment Secretary Steve Reed, as he has made it clear that the water sector is a personal priority for him.
A draft Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill was also announced, to enact the remaining Law Commission recommendations to bolster leaseholders’ rights, tackle existing ground rents; and reinvigorate commonhold. This builds on the previous government’s Leasehold and Freehold Reform 2024 Act, which passed on the final day Parliament was sitting. The Act amended parts of the Building Safety Act, increased the standard lease term, and made it cheaper for some leaseholders to extend their lease or buy their freehold. Forms of leasehold reform have been announced numerous times by government (2021, 2023 and now 2024), and it is expected that it will not be introduced for a number of months as the last government’s Act has yet to be implemented.
The Renters’ Rights Bill will abolish Section 21 ‘no fault evictions’, strengthen tenants’ rights and protections and apply a Decent Homes Standard to the private sector. The Bill is Labour’s take of the previous government’s Renters (Reform) Bill, which was originally introduced in May 2023, passed through the Commons and was on its second reading before Parliament was dissolved. It also hoped to abolish Section 21 and strengthen tenants’ rights, but was later watered down after push back from Conservative backbenchers. The Government also announced a Planning and Infrastructure Bill, English Devolution Bill, and plans to reintroduce the Holocaust Memorial Bill. Ministerial responsibilities have yet to be assigned, but it can be assumed that Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook will have a large role to play in the Renters’ Rights Bill and the Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill as he is the only department Minister who sat on both of the previous Bills’ committees.
The Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill, darling of Transport Secretary Louise Haigh and last-man standing of Starmer’s raft of common ownership pledges made in the Labour leadership contest, will empower the Government to nationalise rail services as their private-sector contracts expire. While it may be a highly contentious political topic in Parliament, polling suggests it is popular, with YouGov finding that 76% are in favour of rail nationalisation and only 13% against. The Government is moving fast on this: the Bill received its first reading yesterday and will undergo its second reading on 29 July. The new Rail Minister is Lord Hendy, who is the former Chair of Network Rail. Hendy will be a busy man, as the Railways Bill will also be introduced in this Parliament, leading to the establishment of Great British Railways (first put forward in the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail in 2021) and the Passenger Standards Authority.
The Better Buses Bill will give local authorities in England the ability to franchise local bus services, a power which only Metro Mayors currently have. It also seeks to accelerate the bus franchising process and give local leaders more flexibility and control over bus funding. The Bill could see many areas follow the examples of Greater Manchester and London, with Manchester having recently become the first area outside London to have a regulated bus system since privatisation in 1986.
Another policy brought forward that the last Conservative Government had been looking at is the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (Revenue Support Mechanism) Bill, after Rishi Sunak’s Government launched a consultation on options to support the SAF industry. Former Conservative MPs Chris Grayling, Robert Courts, Paul Maynard, Graham Brady and Henry Smith had all been leading the charge in this area, but not a single one will be in Parliament to see the legislation passed.
The draft Equality (Race and Disability) Bill aims to tackle inequality for ethnic minority and disabled people by enshrining in law the full right to equal pay and introducing mandatory ethnicity and disability pay reporting for large employers. This is not the first time that ethnicity pay reporting has been proposed, as the Conservatives held a consultation in 2018 but ruled out making it mandatory, issuing guidance for employers choosing to voluntary report instead. The issue was also considered by the Women and Equalities Committee in 2022, calling for the Government to implement mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting by April 2023, bringing it in line with the current mandate on gender pay gap reporting.
The draft Conversion Practices Bill will introduce new laws that ban practices of conversion therapy that are not already captured in existing legislation, including hidden or covert practices. The matter of Conversion Therapy was first introduced into UK politics in 2018, when the Government announced it would work towards a total ban, though a ban has been promised, reversed and adapted several times since, including most recently, promised with the omittance of conversion of transgender people. Two Private Member’s Bills were introduced into Parliament earlier this year, one by Baroness Burt of Solihull and one by Lloyd Russell-Moyle, calling for a ban on the therapy, although neither made it to the second reading.
The Football Governance Bill has returned under Labour after it was introduced to Parliament in March but failed to pass all its stages before Parliament entered prorogation. The Bill will introduce a regulatory body for England’s top 5 leagues, who will be given ‘backstop powers’ to intervene between the Premier League and the English Football League if necessary, after their failure to reach an agreement on a funding deal. The Bill was announced in 2023 following a fan-led review the previous year, which highlighted issues including financial mismanagement and concerns over plans for a breakaway European Super League. Coming into her new role, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy confirmed that the Bill was a top priority for her, after her home team, Wigan Athletic, has been at risk of collapse twice.
The Pension Schemes Bill will support over 15 million people who save in private sector pension schemes get better outcomes from their pension assets, adding £11,000 or more to the average retiree’s savings. Key measures include: preventing people from losing track of their pension pots through the consolidation of Defined Contribution individual deferred small pension pots; ensuring all members are saving into schemes delivering value through the Value for Money Framework; and requiring pension schemes to offer retirement products so people have a pension and not just a savings pot when they stop work. Research from PensionBee estimated that 4.8 million pots are currently lost in the UK, with automatic consolidation aiming to prevent this and reduce the fees being paid. The newly-elected MP and Pensions Minister Emma Reynolds added that it will also ‘ensure we meet our mission to kickstart the economy and create growth in every corner of the UK.’
The House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill will remove the right of hereditary peers to sit and vote in the Lords, after the Government called their continued presence ‘outdated and indefensible’, and raised concerns about these seats being effectively reserved only for men. Following the House of Lords Act 1999, which cut the number of hereditary peers down to 92, there has been no further progress on this – so the Bill is literally seeking to bring the Lords into the 21st Century. The Cabinet Office will also be in charge of further HoL reform via the Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 (Extension) Bill which will simply extend the existing legislation (due to expire next year) aimed at increasing the number of female bishops in the Lords.
The Hillsborough Law is set to introduce a ‘duty of candour for public servants’, as it seeks to improve transparency and accountability, and reduce the ‘culture of defensiveness’ in the public sector. The Bill will create a legal duty of candour on public authorities and officials to tell the truth and cooperate with investigations and inquiries; it will also ensure a level playing field for bereaved people at inquests, and those whose lives have been affected by wrongdoing and preventable failures. This follows years of campaigning by the families of the Hillsborough victims and the Hillsborough Law Now group, who have been calling for legislation to prevent the 1989 disaster from happening again. The Prime Minister committed to introducing this duty of candour back in 2022, following on from the first attempt to implement this back in 2017 by the now Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham.
