A speech to take the "brakes off Britain"

As expected, economic growth and stability are at the heart of Keir Starmer’s agenda for government. 

In a far-reaching agenda, including 40 bills, the King set out a legislative programme designed to make sure the tax and spend numbers add up. 

The Scotland Office has said 24 of the bills would affect Scotland but the smoking and vaping bill, for example, would require separate legislation in the Scottish Parliament.

The programme sets great store by security and trust. In a subliminal swipe at the chaotic Liz Truss budget, the Office of Budget Responsibility will make an independent assessment of every fiscal measure.

There will also be legislation spelling out a duty of candour for public servants.   That legislation should eliminate scandals and cover ups in the public service and would be pertinent in cases like the recent Post Office scandal.

For anyone familiar with Labour’s manifesto for the general election there were few surprises. Government spokespeople have been touring the studios to say the King’s Speech is about what they said they would do in their manifesto, rather than what they did not say.

There will be a £7.3bn National Wealth Fund to spread investment and underpin wealth creation efforts.

An industrial strategy council will be established making sure the UK government, business and industry are intent on delivery.

Sir Keir Starmer, promising to take the “brakes off Britain” said the legislative programme focused entirely on growth and improving living standards. There is a focus on workers’ rights and a confirmation that the VAT exemption will be removed from private schools in a future budget.

There will be a draft audit reform and corporate governance bill strengthening the hand of the regulator for the auditing sector.

There is a Great British Energy Bill and the siting of GB Energy, a clean energy production company, in Scotland is confirmed. 

The sustainable aviation fuel bill is an attempt to increase investments in UK plants to lower emission aviation fuels.

The King’s speech unveiled plans to renationalise the railways within the next five years. It will establish Great British Railways, a state-run rail firm to manage trains and tracks and simplify the ticketing system.

The Employment Rights Bill, to be introduced with the next 100 days of the government, will ban zero-hours contracts and fire and rehire practices, allow more flexible working, and protect parental leave and sick pay and has been welcomed by trades unions.

There will be a Border Security, Asylum and Immigration bill to setup a new Border Security Command intended to limit the number of unofficial Channel crossings by asylum seekers. The Government will make clear they will seek closer co-operation with European countries in their efforts to control migration.   

On Europe expect to see concerted efforts, starting at the weekend, to improve and reset relations with Europe.  There is no suggestion of revisiting the Brexit debate and going back on structural changes but the government wants change and will tweak legislation to work in favour of the UK economy. 

They want to co-ordinate between the skills system and the immigration system, for example.

Inevitably there will be criticism from the opposition parties and even within the Labour Party there will be disappointment that the King’s Speech has not gone far enough on a number of issues. 

There will be disappointment about the failure to remove the child benefit cap although it was never expected realistically today.  And changes on benefits are more likely to be delivered in Rachel Reeves’s first budget in the autumn.

by Catherine MacLeod, Senior advisor