What to expect from the King’s speech with Labour set to unveil 35 new bills

After Labour won the General Election on July 4, a new era in parliament begins on Wednesday as the King’s Speech is unveiled at the state opening.

While the King’s Speech will be read by the monarch King Charles, it is actually written by the government.

It is the new government’s chance to outline its proposed policies and legislation for the new parliamentary season.

And for Keir Starmer, there’s a fair amount to go through. From legislation that will set up a new state-owned energy company and nationalising the railways to banning zero-hour contracts.

We take a look below about everything to do with this year’s King’s Speech:

What is the King’s Speech?

While a parliament can last up to five years between different general elections, the King’s Speech is delivered at the start of a parliamentary session annually.

Charles delivered his first King’s Speech last year on November 7 2023 for Rishi Sunak’s government.

But with a new party in charge, he now has another one to read out as Labour gets down to business in government.

While it will outline all the bills planned, some might not become law and bills can also be passed by the government later that weren’t included in the speech.

There’s nothing legally binding in the speech, think of it as a giant press release for the government in charge.

There’s always a bit of pomp and pageantry to the affair as the House of Commons, House of Lords and monarch are all brought together.

What time is the King’s Speech?

Charles is due to arrive at the Houses of Parliament at the Sovereign’s Entrance at 11.20am.

He will then put on his Imperial State Crown and ceremonial robes in the robing room. Makes sense.

He will take his seat on the throne in the House of Lords and read the speech at 11.30am.

There is no set time for the speech but last year’s one was the longest since 2005, clocking in at 11 minutes and 30 seconds.

Once the speech finishes, MPs have the opportunity to debate it afterwards and this allows the opposition and other parties to scrutinise it.

These debates can last several days and a vote is eventually cast which is largely symbolic because no government has lost it in 100 years.

What are Labour’s 35 bills?

The new government is expected to announce 35 bills in the King’s Speech, Downing Street confirmed.

GB Energy is one of Labour’s flagship promises. The publicly-owned company will work alongside private firms to invest in clean energy projects – though, it won’t supply energy directly to households.

Speaking of publically owned, Labour want to bring Britain’s railways back in the hands of the public. Great British Railways will oversee nearly all passenger rail services within five years, something Labour say will bring fares down.

Housing is also top of the agenda. Labour has pledged to ‘immediately’ ban no-fault evictions, which allow landlords to give tenants the boot for no reason.

The government also hope to get Awaab’s Law in the books. Named after a boy who died from a respiratory condition caused by mould, the law would force social landlords to fix major health issues like mould within strict time limits.

With the Tory government’s Rwanda plan in the bin, Labour is expected to include legislation to give police more power to tackle people smugglers. Police will also be given new powers to tackle anti-social behaviour.

Assaulting shopkeepers and spiking drinks will also be made into specific crimes.

A new worker’s rights bill is also in the cards, which would likely include outlawing zero-hours contracts, which means no work is ever guaranteed for employees.

We told you there’s a lot. A brief fly-by of the rest, which also includes bills the old government never got around to: phasing out remaining hereditary peers in the House of Lords, more online safety, a gradual smoking ban and giving 16-year-olds the right to vote.

Is the King’s Speech on TV?

Yes. The state opening of parliament will be televised on BBC One from 10.30am until 12.30pm and will be presented by Reeta Chakrabarti.

It will also be shown live on Parliament TV and the House of Lords X feed.

News of the King’s speech will also dominate the news channels into lunchtime and the evening, so if you’ve missed anything important you can catch up… by reading Metro.co.uk’s coverage, of course.

What was in the 2023 speech?

During the King’s Speech under Rishi Sunak’s government, Charles announced that there would be tougher sentences for ‘serious offenders’.

It included plans to tackle ‘digitally-enabled crime’ as well as plans to give the police increased powers.

Plans were outlined in the speech about a further 24 months in prison for criminals who refuse to turn up to their sentencing hearings.

At the time Charles also said the then PM Rishi Sunak was focused on ‘increasing economic growth and safeguarding the health and security of the British people for generations to come’.

He also said the government would ‘continue to take action to bring down inflation’ and support the Bank of England in that goal by taking ‘responsible decisions on spending and borrowing’.

Charles also said the government would support ‘the future licensing of new oil and gas fields’ and ‘strengthen the United Kingdom’s energy security and reduce reliance on volatile international energy markets and hostile foreign regimes’.

But plans highlighted like banning cigarettes for those under 14 did not come to fruition.

Anti-monarchy group Republic protested about the speech last year and it is expected to do so again this year.

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