What Might Be in Labour’s First King’s Speech?

Last updated on July 18th, 2024 at 07:38 am

Within some days, the new Labour government will spell out its plans for the coming year. But it will be King Charles who does the talking when he addresses Parliament on Wednesday. In a speech he is due to make, some 35 new laws the government wishes to introduce are likely to be mentioned. Here’s a look at what may well feature in that key speech:

Stopping Illegal Migration

Labor will introduce legislation to prevent unlawful entry to the UK. They will:

• Give police more powers to catch gangs who bring people across the English Channel in small boats.
• Forget these plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, which the old government dreamed up, and concentrate on stopping these gangs.
• Try and make it more difficult for people to enter the country illegally.

This is a big turn from the agenda of the previous government. Labour thinks that this plan will work much better in controlling who comes into the country.

Making Work Better for People

Labour promised to make new laws within 100 days to help workers. These laws might include:

• Stopping companies from using “zero-hours contracts” that don’t promise workers any set hours
• Making it easier for workers to claim unfair treatment at work
• Giving workers rights to sick pay and parental leave sooner after starting a job
• Helping people from different backgrounds get equal pay

They want to talk to businesses and worker groups before making these laws final. The goal is to make jobs fairer and more secure for everyone.

Clean Energy for the Future

Labour has big plans for clean energy. They would:

• Establish a new company, GB Energy, which would be publicly owned
• Headquarter in Scotland to provide employment there
• Use GB Energy to construct not only more wind farms but particularly those floating in the sea
• Produce clean hydrogen fuel
• Launch a “solar revolution” by installing solar panels on millions of roofs
• “Establish a National Wealth Fund which will invest £7.3bn in green projects over five years”

These plans can be expected to help the UK harness and use more clean energy in its fight against climate change. This rooftop solar idea could imply that many homes and buildings get their power from the sun.

Keeping People Safe from Crime

Labour will bring forward new laws to fight crime, including:

• Creating a specific offense of exploiting children to ferry drugs around the country – country lines
• Making attacks on shop workers a specific offence
• Introducing a new offense of drug spiking
• Giving the police more powers to stop anti-social behaviour in communities

The laws are therefore designed to make the communities safer and provide safety to vulnerable people against crime.

Making the Internet Safer

Labour also wants to make the internet a safer place. They plan to:

• Build on the Online Safety Act that the last government made
• Give more power to officials investigating when a child dies because of harmful online content
• Make new rules for very powerful AI (artificial intelligence) systems
• Stop people from making fake videos or pictures of others in sexual situations
• Protect important computer systems from attackers

These plans aim to keep people, especially children, safer when they use the internet and new technologies.

By focusing on these areas, Labour hopes to make big changes that will affect many parts of life in the UK. The King’s Speech will give us more details about how they plan to do all of this.