What was in the 2024 King’s Speech?

The King’s Speech is part of the State Opening of Parliament. It is delivered by the monarch, though written by the government, and sets out the government’s priorities for the coming parliamentary session. While this includes setting out legislative plans for the parliament, the government has flexibility to later introduce bills that were not included in the speech.

The 2024 King’s Speech was held on 17 July 2024 and opened the first session of the new parliament since the general election.

The speech and accompanying memorandum included 40 bills, of which two were carried over from the previous parliamentary session. This is the highest number of bills to appear in a speech from the throne since 2005, and the second highest since 1997.

What legislation has been picked up from the last parliament? 

Two bills have been carried over from the previous parliament. Most bills are not allowed to be carried over between parliaments, but there are exceptions for Hybrid Bills. The Holocaust Memorial bill to allow for the building of a holocaust memorial and learning centre in Victoria Tower Gardens has been carried over and appears in the King’s Speech, as has the High Speed Rail (Crewe to Manchester) Bill.

The King’s Speech also contained bills in the speech that were introduced by the previous government but not completed before the election. These bills are not carried over, so the government will have to start from scratch, and will likely make changes to their content to reflect their priorities. 

These include: 

• Football Governance Bill – A bill to establish an independent football regulator.
• Tobacco and Vapes Bill – A bill to ban smoking for those born after 2008, and prevent the availability of vapes for children.
• Renters' Rights Bill – a bill to reform the rental market, including abolishing ‘no-fault’ evictions.
• Arbitration Bill – A bill to reform the laws on arbitration in England and Wales.

This King’s Speech also included “Martyn’s law”, the Terrorism (Protection of Premises Bill) which was included in the last King’s Speech but not introduced by the last government. This introduces security requirements for certain public venues and locations.

Did Labour’s missions feature in the speech? 

The King’s address began with the statement that the government will be “mission-led”. The contents of the speech and accompanying briefing notes are organised around Labour’s five missions. The majority of bills in the speech are grouped under subheads that largely match with the missions. The bills as set out for each mission are: 

Economic stability and growth

• National Wealth Fund Bill – A bill to establish a National Wealth Fund
• Pension Schemes Bill – A pension reform bill to allow people to consolidate pension pots.
• Planning and Infrastructure Bill – Changes planning system in part to streamline the process for critical infrastructure.
• Employment Rights Bill – A bill  to ban zero-hour contracts, end fire and rehire, as well as strengthening sick pay and protections for new mothers.
• English Devolution Bill – A bill to create a more standardised framework for English devolution and to accelerate devolution to England.
• Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill – A bill to amend rail legislation to make a public sector operation the default.
• Better Busses Bill – Reform to bus services and franchising, including allowing local control and supporting public ownership.
• Railways Bill – A bill to reform rail including establish GBR and allow rail contracts to be taken into public ownership at the end of contracts or if provides fail to deliver.
• Bank Resolution (Recapitalisation) Bill – A bill to reform how the Bank of England responds to failing banking institutions
• Arbitration Bill – A bill to reform the laws on arbitration in England and Wales.
• Product Safety and Metrology Bill – A bill to give the government powers to update product regulation.
• Digital Information and Smart Data Bill – A bill to enable new uses of data to drive growth.
• High Speed Rail (Crewe to Manchester) Bill – A hybrid bill to expand powers for building rail infrastructure between Crewe and Manchester.

Great British Energy and clean energy superpower

• Great British Energy Bill – A bill to establish Great British Energy, a public body that will own and operate clean power projects across the UK.
• The Crown Estate Bill – A bill to reform the Crown Estate to allow it to borrow and invest more widely.
• Sustainable Aviation Fuel (Revenue Support Mechanism) Bill – A bill to support sustainable aviation fuel production in the UK.
• Water (Special Measures) Bill – A bill to regulate water companies to clean up rivers lakes and seas in the UK.

Secure borders, cracking down on anti-social behaviour and take back our streets

• Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill – A bill to strengthen border security, crack down on organised immigration crime, and reform the asylum system.
• Crime and Policing Bill – A bill to improve policing, crack down on anti-social behaviour, tackle knife and retail crime, and provide a stronger response to violence against women and girls.
• Terrorism (Protection of Premises Bill) – A bill (also known as Martyn’s Law) to introduce security requirements for certain public venues and locations.
• Victims, Courts and Public Protection Bill – A bill to support victims of crimes, and reduce delays in the court system

Health

• Tobacco and Vapes Bill – A bill to ban smoking for those born after 2008, and prevent the availability of vapes for children.
• Mental Health Bill – A bill to amend the Mental Health Act (1983) to reform treatment for mental health.

Break down the barriers to opportunity

• Children’s Wellbeing Bill – A bill to improve children’s wellbeing include a requirement for free breakfast clubs in every primary school.
• Skills England Bill – A bill to establish Skills England, a public body to improve workforce skills.
• Renters’ Rights Bill – A bill to reform the rental market, including abolishing ‘no-fault’ evictions.
• Football Governance Bill – A bill to establish an independent football regulator. 

What other bills were in the speech? 

The speech also included bills that were not set out under one of the government’s five missions. These include:

• Hillsborough Law – A bill to place “a legal duty of candour” on public servants and authorities.
• Armed Forces Commissioner Bill – A bill to strengthen support for members of the armed forces and their families through an Armed Forces Commissioner.
• House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill – A bill to remove the right of hereditary peers to sit in the House of Lords.
• Northern Ireland Legacy Legislation
• Cyber Security and Resilience Bill
• Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and International Committee of the Red Cross (Status) Bill
• Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 (Extension) Bill

Occasionally the government publishes bills in draft form to allow for scrutiny before it is formally introduced into parliament. There are four bills in the speech that will be introduced in draft form. These are:

• Draft Audit Reform and Corporate Governance Bill – A bill to introduce a new Audit Reporting and Governance Authority to regulate auditing.
• Draft Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill – A bill to reform leaseholder rights and regulate ground rents.
• Draft Equality (Race and Disability) Bill – A bill to enshrine in law the right to equal pay for minorities and people with disabilities.
• Draft Conversion Practices Bill – A bill to ban conversion therapy. 

Watch our expert analysis of what we learned from the King's Speech