Sir Keir Starmer set out plans to tear up planning red tape, reform the economy and restore trust in politics in a sweeping set of changes in the Labour Government’s first King’s Speech.
The Prime Minister vowed to “turn the page on an era of politics as noisy performance and return it to public service and start the work of rebuilding our country” with a programme containing 40 proposed pieces of legislation.
Sir Keir said this would be “a determined rebuilding, a patient rebuilding, a calm rebuilding, a rejection in this complicated and volatile world of those who can only offer the easy answer, the snake oil charm of populism”.
In the Commons King’s Speech debate, the Prime Minister said the raft of legislation announced “seeks only to fix our foundations and make people better off”, with “no more wedge issues, no more gimmicks, no more party political strategy masquerading as policy”.
Attacking the previous Tory government’s record, he said: “With each day that passes, my Government is finding new and unexpected marks of their chaos, scars of the last 14 years where politics was put above the national interest, decline deep in the marrow of our institutions.”
The speech, delivered in the House of Lords by the King with all the traditional pomp and pageantry, includes many of the policies championed in Labour’s manifesto.
Charles told the gathered peers and MPs the Government’s programme would be “based upon the principles of security, fairness and opportunity for all”, adding that his ministers would “get Britain building”.
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will reform the system to help meet the goal of building 1.5 million more homes over the course of the Parliament, deciding “how, not if” properties are built.
It will also mean landowners forced to sell up to make way for new developments will be paid a “fair but not excessive” price where important infrastructure or social housing is being built.
It is one of 15 bills or draft bills under the broad heading of “economic stability and growth”, the key focus of the Starmer administration’s first session.
Today's King's Speech sets out how we are delivering change for our country.
Serving working people. Creating wealth in every community.
National renewal starts now. pic.twitter.com/SznttCF8Cu
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) July 17, 2024
Other measures in the programme include:
– Establishing state-owned energy production firm Great British Energy with £8.3 billion of public money across the Parliament.
– Creating a £7.3 billion national wealth fund to invest in schemes to generate economic growth and clean energy.
– A new package of workers’ rights, banning “exploitative” zero-hour contracts and giving day one rights on flexible working, parental leave, sick pay and protection from unfair dismissal.
– A law to put water companies into “special measures” to clean up rivers, lakes and seas, with bosses facing personal criminal liability for lawbreaking and a beefed-up regulator having the power to ban bonus payments if environmental standards are not met.
– A Bill to create a new Border Security Command and putting stronger penalties in place for migrant smuggling gangs as part of the effort to curb crossing of the English Channel.
– Measures to end no-fault evictions and give greater protections to people renting their homes.
– Plans to end the “outdated and indefensible” presence of hereditary peers in the House of Lords.
– Confirmation of plans to impose VAT on private school fees to fund new teachers in state classrooms.
Setting out the key aims of his plan, Sir Keir said: “We will reform the planning rules to build the homes and infrastructure the country desperately needs.
“We will level up workers’ rights, so every person has security, respect and dignity at work; we will create a new industrial strategy and invest in cleaner, cheaper British energy; and we will harness the power of artificial intelligence as we look to strengthen safety frameworks.”
Despite the Government’s focus on speeding through planning decisions on major infrastructure and housing schemes, he promised to “push power out of Westminster”.
Local leaders will be given powers to take control of bus services and trains will be brought under public ownership.
The King’s Speech also confirms the return of measures which were first introduced under the Conservatives – plans to phase out smoking and the creation of an independent football regulator.
Sir Keir said: “The work of change has begun, but we know, as they do, that national renewal is not a quick fix. The rot of 14 years will take time to repair.”
But Tory leader Rishi Sunak sought to push back against the Labour Government painting “as bleak a picture as possible” on its economic inheritance.
In the MPs’ debate following the speech, the former prime minister said: “The party opposite has inherited an economy that is already on an upward trajectory.”
He said the Opposition would “hold the Government to its own promises” not to raise taxes beyond what was in the Labour manifesto, adding that “it would be difficult for them to claim that things are worse than they thought and then renege on those pledges”.
Mr Sunak welcomed the introduction of several pieces of legislation including Martyn’s Law, designed to help protect venues against terror attacks, but criticised a lack of mention of rural communities and farming or plans to tackle the rising welfare bill.
On House of Lords reform, he called for constitutional change to be done on a cross-party basis.
