KING Charles delivered a speech in the House of Lords on Wednesday laying out 40 bills which Keir Starmer’s Labour government will aim to bring forward.
The plans were later debated in the House of Commons, with the Prime Minister facing questions from leader of the opposition Rishi Sunak, LibDem leader Ed Davey and SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn among others.
But what did this speech, laying out the Westminster legislative agenda, mean for Scotland?
New Scottish Secretary Ian Murray claimed the King’s Speech will deliver “for all four nations of the UK and all four corners of Scotland”.
Of course, a number of the bills introduced are on devolved issues and won’t apply to Scotland – from the Mental Health Bill to Skills England Bill.
But 24 of the 40 bills do apply to north of the Border, according to the Scotland Office, which includes:
- Renters Rights Bill [only in respect of discrimination against tenants on benefits or with children]
- National Wealth Fund Bill
- Pensions Schemes Bill
- Planning and Infrastructure Bill [some measures]
- Employment Rights Bill
- Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill
- Railways Bill
- Bank Resolution (Recapitalisation) Bill
- Product Safety and Metrology Bill
- Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill
- Armed Forces Commissioner Bill
- Digital Information and Smart Data Bill
- Draft Audit Reform and Corporate Governance Bill
- Great British Energy Bill
- Sustainable Aviation Fuel (Revenue support Mechanism) Bill
- Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill [Reintroduced]
- Draft Equality (Race and Disability) Bill
- Tobacco and Vapes Bill [Reintroduced]
- House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill
- Cyber Security and Resilience Bill
- Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and International Committee of the Red Cross (Status) Bill
- Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 (Extension) Bill
- Budget Responsibility Bill
- Hillsborough Law [Public Candour] Bill [TBC - territorial extent to be determined]
For a summary of what each bill entails, The National has an explainer here.
Of note, in terms of impacts on devolution are the establishment of Great British Energy and the establishment of the Council of the Nations and the Regions.
The Scottish Government told The National that it had not been given any details on the new council, which brings together both regional and national leaders across the UK.
With that in mind, Alba leader Alex Salmond said it could be a “potential threat” to Scotland.
“'The Council of the Nations and the Regions' looks innocuous but could be a move to devalue the national status of the devolved Parliaments,” he said.
“It has been a long standing London Labour ambition to conflate English regional devolution with the national and legislative status of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.”
Meanwhile, with Great British Energy, there are also concerns it could see Westminster take control of Scotland’s vast energy resources.
