Everything you need to know about the key policy plans of the new UK government

London:

Britain’s new Labour government unveiled its first package of proposed laws on Wednesday, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer seeking to deliver on his promise to rebuild the country.

The Royal Speech – delivered by the monarch but written down by government ministers – opens a new session of Parliament.

Below are some of the government’s key policy plans:

PLANNING REFORM

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill aims to increase the number of homes built each year and simplify the approval process for key infrastructure projects by reducing the waiting time for planning permission.

The Government has signalled that the draft Planning Bill will limit the ability of local communities to block new developments, saying that “democratic engagement will be about how, not whether, homes and infrastructure are built”.

EMPLOYEE RIGHTS

The Employment Rights Act will ban companies from imposing ‘random hours’ contracts, introduce a ban on firing and re-hiring workers, and strengthen employment rights by providing all workers with parental leave, sick pay and protection against unfair dismissal.

The bill will also make it unlawful to dismiss a woman who has given birth six months after returning to work, except in special circumstances, and make flexible working the default arrangement for taking up employment.

ECONOMIC SECURITY

The Fiscal Responsibility Act will ensure that any government making significant changes to tax and spending will be subject to an independent forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility, the official budget watchdog.

The aim is to avoid a repeat of former prime minister Liz Truss’s 2022 mini-budget, a $50 billion package of unfunded tax cuts that was presented without an independent review and triggered a meltdown in financial markets.

ILLEGAL MIGRATION

The government plans to pass a new border security bill that would give law enforcement agencies counter-terrorism powers to crack down on gangs that bring tens of thousands of people into the UK on small boats every year.

This will include stop-and-search powers for border officers and tougher penalties for advertising people smuggling. Labour has rejected a plan by the previous Conservative government to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda.

HOUSING REFORM

Tenants will be able to challenge unjustified rent increases. The Tenants’ Rights Act will abolish no-fault evictions, end “rent bidding wars” and make it illegal for landlords to discriminate against families with children or people receiving benefits.

FINANCIAL REGULATIONS

The government’s new finance bills will aim to encourage the consolidation of smaller pension schemes, streamline the rescue of failing banks by expanding the Financial Services Compensation Scheme and give new powers to a new audit regulator.

CLIMATE AND ENERGY

The government will pass legislation to set up the centrepiece of its green energy plans, GB Energy, backed by £8.3 billion ($11 billion), which will co-invest in leading technologies and support capital-intensive projects.

RAILWAYS

It will return rail franchises to government control when private contracts expire. It will seek to increase east-west links in northern England, but will not restart high-speed rail between Birmingham and Manchester.

CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS

Under plans to reform the upper house of parliament, the House of Lords, the right of hereditary peers – which pass down through family lines for an indefinite period and without election – to sit and vote will be removed. Of the more than 800 members, 92 are hereditary peers.

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

A new Crime and Policing Bill will introduce a ban on so-called “ninja swords”, aim to clamp down on shoplifting and target those who engage in harassment and drinking alcohol in public places.

CYBER SECURITY

The Cybersecurity and Resilience Bill will update UK laws in a similar way to the EU’s proposed Cyber Resilience Bill, forcing companies to report incidents, including ransomware incidents, and share more data on cyberattacks.

DEGENERATION

The Devolution Bill for England will give mayors and other local leaders greater influence over economic decisions, including transport and jobs.

Power in the UK is centralised compared to other major economies, with many financial decisions made in London. The government argues that further decentralisation will help boost productivity and bring more sustainable growth.

CONVERSION THERAPY

There are plans to ban so-called conversion therapy, which is aimed at lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people and aims to change their sexual orientation or gender identity.

It said any ban could not include legitimate psychological support for people exploring their sexual orientation or gender identity. The previous Conservative government sought to introduce similar legislation.

SMOKING

The government plans to phase out the sale of cigarettes, as first announced by former prime minister Rishi Sunak. Children born on or after 1 January 2009 will never be able to legally buy cigarettes under the planned bill.

PRIVATE SCHOOL

Labour plans to scrap some tax breaks for fee-paying schools and spend the money on raising standards in state schools.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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