In today’s Queen’s Speech, the Government laid out a wide-ranging agenda to build on the policy successes of the last year, and to continue its efforts to grow the economy, easing the cost of living crisis for working people.
As part of this, the Government announced the Levelling-Up and Regeneration Bill, which will give councils the power to force landlords to let out empty shops; ensuring that our high streets are futureproofed and local economies are bolstered.
Following the recent P&O ferries redundancies, I’m pleased to see the Government taking proactive action to prevent this happening again, introducing the Harbours Bill that stops maritime companies who use workers paid less than the minimum wage from using British waters.
Investment in infrastructure and cutting the bureaucracy and red tape that surrounds it was front and centre in this Queen’s Speech. The Transport Bill will see the creation of Great British Railways, which will lead on the modernisation of our railways; making life easier for those who commute on trains, whether that be for work or leisure.
The protection of our children from extreme or harmful content, through the Online Safety Bill will make it far harder for young people to access harmful content; protecting our children from those who seek to use the internet to harm them.
The Media Bill allows OfCom to regulate on-demand streaming services in the way that they have traditionally regulated television channels. The bill also modernises the British medial landscape, privatises Channel 4, bringing our media offering it into the 21st century.
As part of our work to disentangle UK legislation from EU legislation, following our successful campaign to leave the EU, the Government are introducing the Data Reform Bill, which replaces EU rules on data protection, reducing the burdens on business and fostering innovation.
With national security and policing in mind, the Government are introducing the Public Order Bill to make it more difficult for radical protest groups (Insulate Britain and Extinction Rebellion) to cause hazards on our streets and the National Security Bill, reforming the UK’s national security landscape to protect our country from threats foreign and domestic.
The Draft Victims Bill puts the weight of Parliament behind the Victims Code, providing greater rights to (and protections for) victims of crime.
A full list of Government Bills referenced in the Queen’s Speech can be found below:
- Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill
- Bill of Rights
- Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions Bill
- Brexit Freedoms Bill
- Conversion Therapy Bill
- Data Reform Bill
- Draft Mental Health Bill
- Draft Victims Bill
- Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill
- Electronic Trade Documents Bill
- Energy Security Bill
- Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill
- Harbours Bill
- Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill
- Higher Education Bill
- Media Bill
- National Security Bill
- Non-Domestic Rating Bill
- Online Safety Bill
- Procurement Bill
- Public Order Bill
- Schools Bill
- Transport Bill
- Deliver post-Brexit financial services regime
- Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill
- Draft Audit Reform Bill
- Draft Protect Duty Bill
- Enhance the UK’s global position in financial services, improving the economy
- Financial Services and Markets Bill
- Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill
- Modern Slavery Bill
- Modernise UK’s competition and consumer protection rules
- Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill
- Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill
- Renters Reform Bill
- Social Housing Regulation Bill
- Social Security Bill
- Trade (Australia and New Zealand) Bill
- UK Infrastructure Bank Bill
