The government has set out its legislative agenda in the Queen’s Speech, which this year was delivered by the heir to the throne, Prince Charles.
Standing in for the Queen, who is experiencing “episodic mobility problems” according to Buckingham Palace, Prince Charles announced plans for 38 new laws the government intends to pass in the coming year.
Here are some of the key bills announced today.
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Levelling up and Regeneration Bill
The bill is designed to “drive local growth, empowering local leaders to regenerate their areas”, Prince Charles announced today. It will do so by giving mayors and council leaders the power to let out empty high street shops for residential use, in the hope it will rejuvenate town centres.
The bill will also introduce a “locally set, non-negotiable levy” paid by developers to deliver the infrastructure needed by local communities such as schools, new roads and housing.
Transport Bill
The government has said its Transport Bill “will improve transport across the United Kingdom, delivering safer, cleaner services and enabling more innovations”.
The government plans to set up a new state-owned body, Great British Railways, which will have “contracting powers for passenger services, with goals and budgets set by the government”, explained The Guardian.
The bill will also “legalise self-driving and remotely-operated vehicles and support the roll-out of more electric vehicle charging points”, said Sky News.
Online Safety Bill
This “mammoth” piece of legislation is designed to deliver on a government pledge to better regulate content appearing on the internet, said the BBC. It is the “most extensive” piece of legislation to be carried over from the last session of parliament, said the i news site, as it failed to progress in the time available.
Among the many things the bill will cover, it will “impose a duty of care on online companies, such as Facebook and Twitter, to protect users against illegal and harmful content”, as well as make Ofcom the online safety regulator, “with fines of up to £18m or 10% of annual global turnover for serious breaches”, said Sky News.
Public Order Bill
The bill will give police new powers to clamp down on disruptive tactics used by protest groups like Insulate Britain and Extinction Rebellion.
It will announce new offences to stop protesters from “locking on” to national infrastructure, in a move designed to “reinstate measures thrown out by the House of Lords in January”, said The Guardian. The bill will also extend stop and search powers and make it illegal to obstruct transport projects.
Brexit Freedoms Bill
This bill is aimed at seizing “the opportunities of the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union” and will allow the government to more easily amend laws inherited from the EU now that the UK has left the bloc.
It also aims to cut £1bn of “burdensome EU red tape for business”, reported Sky News.
Schools Bill
This will encourage schools to become part of larger trusts in an attempt to “level up standards”. It will also implement a National Funding Formula to “ensure each school will be allocated funding on the same basis”, explained i news.
Energy Security Bill
The bill aims to “build on the success of the COP26 Summit in Glasgow last year”, and contains new powers intended to boost renewable energy and fulfil a pledge to build up to eight nuclear power stations and increase wind and solar energy production in the UK.
Missing bills
There were some notable omissions from the Queen’s Speech this year, including plans for an Employment Bill first announced by the government in 2019.
Measures such as “flexible working rights, protections against pregnancy discrimination, and rights for staff to keep all tips” had all been hoped for in the long-awaited bill, which was first announced in the Queen’s Speech three years ago, said the BBC. It has led unions to accuse the government of “turning its back” on workers.
Further proposed legislation that did not make an appearance was a mooted bill that would allow the government to overhaul the Northern Ireland protocol.
It would “in effect give Johnson the power to override any aspect of the protocol’s operation if, in the view of ministers, it was jeopardising the peace agreement”, reported The Times last week.
A “senior government source” told the paper that although the proposed bill was not slated for inclusion in the Queen’s Speech, it could be “announced shortly afterwards if no progress had been made with Brussels”.
