On July 17^th 2024, King Charles III delivered his second King's Speech at the State Opening of Parliament, outlining the Labour government's legislative agenda for the coming months. This marks a significant moment as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his team, having ended 14 years of Conservative rule, present their vision for national renewal and long-term stability.

The speech unveiled a comprehensive legislative package with a total of 39 bills, each aiming to reshape various facets of British life. But most specifically, new criminal, immigration and family law bills held a strong focus.

Broken down, the new bills are:

• The new border security, asylum and immigration bill: with an objective to protect national security and address illegal immigration. This will be measured by the establishment of Border Security Command with enhanced powers for law enforcement to crack down on criminal gangs involved in human trafficking, strengthening penalties for criminals involved in people smuggling and reforming the asylum system to improve efficiency and end the use of hotels by clearing the asylum backlog.

• The new crime and policing bill: with an objective of enhancing community policing and tackle serious crime. This will include measures such as outlawing the sale of serious weapons like 'ninja swords' and 'zombie knives', cracking down on low-value shoplifting (under £200) and introducing tougher penalties for repeat offenders. This bill also ill focuses on community safety, proposing penalties for low-value shoplifting as well as introducing new measures to combat antisocial behaviour and improve local policing capabilities.

• The new terrorism (protection of premises) bill: with an objective of improving safety and security of public venues. This will be measured via the implementation of Martyn’s Law, requiring certain venues to take measures to prepare for possible terrorist attacks, and establishing steps that premises must take, based on size and activity, to enhance security.

• The new victims, courts and public protection bill: with an objective of improving support systems for crime victims and enhance protection from offenders. This will be measured by halving violence against women and girls, increasing powers of the victims’ commissioner and by forcing offenders to attend their sentencing hearings, addressing issues highlighted by cases like Lucy Letby’s.

• The new children's wellbeing bill: with an objective to break down barriers to opportunity and raise educational standards. This will be measured via promoting children’s wellbeing post-pandemic and supporting initiatives to improve educational outcomes and mental health services for young people.
• The new renters’ rights bill: with an objective to provide renters with greater security and rights. This will be measured via abolishing Section 21 ‘no fault evictions’ to give tenants more security against unjustified rent increases and allowing renters to leave properties at their convenience rather than being bound by fixed-term contracts.

• The draft conversion practices bill: with an objective to ban conversion practices, deemed abusive. This will be measured via prohibiting all forms of conversion therapy to protect individuals from these harmful practices.

• The Hillsborough law: with an objective to ensure transparency and accountability from public servants. This will be measured via establishing a ‘duty of candour’ for public servants and guaranteeing statutory funding for bereaved families to engage in inquests and inquiries.

• The House of Lords (hereditary peers) bill: with an objective to reform the House of Lords, measured by removing the right of hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords.

• And the mental health bill: with an objective to improve mental health care and reduce waiting times, measured via providing mental health care free at the point of use and modernising the Mental Health Act to better suit contemporary needs.

These bills reflect the Labour government’s commitment to addressing pressing issues in criminal justice, immigration and family law, aiming to create a safer and more equitable society, however the King’s Speech did also address additional bills which may also be relevant here, such as:

• The budget responsibility bill: a legislation which introduces a ‘fiscal lock’, mandating that any significant tax or spending changes undergo independent assessment by the Office for Budget Responsibility. This move aims to prevent economic missteps, such as those seen in the previous administration's 'mini budget.'

• The housebuilding and planning bill: whereby Labour’s pledge to build 1.5 million new homes over five years ed in means overhauling the planning process, expediting construction projects and reforming compulsory purchase order rules. This goal is to eliminate planning bottlenecks and stimulate economic growth through accelerated housing and infrastructure development.

• The employment rights bill: which introduces significant changes to improve job security and fairness. This bill proposes banning exploitative zero-hour contracts, ending 'fire and rehire' practices and enhancing statutory sick pay and parental leave.

• And the pension schemes bill: which bolsters retirement security and aims to streamline pension management by consolidating multiple pension pots and introducing a new regulatory framework - an initiative expected to significantly increase the retirement savings of the average worker.

Conclusion

In summary, the 2024 King's Speech highlights Labour's ambitious legislative agenda, and how the new bills are aimed at uniting the country under a vision of economic stability, social justice and environmental sustainability.

As these bills progress through Parliament, they promise to bring transformative changes to the UK, reflecting Labour's commitment to a fairer, more prosperous future for all citizens.

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