Rachel Hopkins MP has reacted to the King’s Speech laid out in Parliament today (Wednesday 17th July). The speech laid out all the proposed laws of the new Labour Government over the coming year.  

The Government’s legislative agenda will drive forward delivery of Labour’s first steps and missions to rebuild Britain. 

In its first week, the Labour government has already lifted the ban on onshore wind. It has created a national wealth fund to invest in and grow our economy. It has met NHS bosses to get the 40,000 extra NHS appointments we need each week and 700,000 urgent dental appointments up and running as quickly as possible. 

The legislation set out at the King’s Speech will build on the momentum of the first days in office and make a difference to the lives of working people, with plans for over 35 bills and draft bills which will include new laws to deliver Labour’s manifesto commitments. The package of bills will focus on growing the economy through better transport, more jobs and turbocharging building of houses and infrastructure – helping to make every part of the country better off. 

New laws tabled in the King’s Speech include: 

• Planning and Infrastructure Bill which will build the new homes required to make housing more affordable and the infrastructure to support sustained economic growth. 

• Passenger Railways Service and Railways Bills to bring rail services back into public ownership to make our railways reliable, affordable and accessible. 

• Great British Energy Bill to make our country energy independent and so ensure British taxpayers, bill payers and communities reap the benefits of clean, secure, home-grown energy and lower bills for families.  

• Crime and Policing Bill (England and Wales) which will put neighbourhood police and Police Community Support Officers back on the beat. 

• Better Buses Bill will introduce new powers for local leaders to take control of bus services. 

• Employment Rights Bill will ban zero-hours contracts and fire and rehire, alongside ensuring rights to sick pay and parental leave from day one of employment.   

• Renters’ Rights Bill which will put renters’ rights reform back on the agenda, including banning Section 21 evictions.
   

And all of this will be underpinned by a Budget Responsibility Bill which will introduce a ‘fiscal lock’ – to ensure that the mistakes of Liz Truss ‘mini budget’ cannot be repeated, and the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) can scrutinise Government plans. 

Reacting to the Speech Rachel Hopkins MP said:
“Over the past fourteen years, people and their communities have been held back and their hard work not rewarded. 

“Today’s new laws set out a strong agenda for our country, creating wealth in communities like ours, making people better off and committing to deliver the real change the people of Luton South & South Bedfordshire need.  

“Now is the time to take the brakes off Britain, I am pleased to be part of a government committed to uniting the country in the shared mission of national renewal. 

“I look forward to being part of driving these new laws through Parliament and delivering positive change for Luton South & South Bedfordshire.”

Read the full King’s Speech here: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/the-kings-speech-2024