The King’s Speech: Labour sets out it’s legislative agenda

What has been announced?

The new government has announced 39 bills that they intend to pass through parliament as part of the King’s Speech. This includes some bills that were tabled by the previous government but were unable to be passed through parliament before the general election.

The key bills that were outlined include:

• The Planning and Infrastructure Bill which looks to transform the planning system and smooth the process for building critical infrastructure.

• The Employment Rights Bill will ban ‘exploitative’ zero-hours contracts and strengthen workers’ rights as was set out in the New Deal for Working People, ahead of the election

• The Race Equality Bill will bring in new pay reporting requirements for the largest businesses and extend the right for individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds or with disabilities to make equal pay claims under the Equality Act

• The National Wealth Fund Bill will set up a new fund to invest in infrastructure and renewable energy projects

• The Great British Energy Bill will accelerate investment in renewable energy through the creation of a publicly-owned company

• The Draft Audit Reform and Corporate Governance Bill will strengthen audit regulation and corporate governance measures

• The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, originally tabled by the previous government will introduce a ban on the purchase of cigarettes for anyone born after January 2009

• The Skills England Bill will set up a new body to partner with employers to generate skills required across the economy

• The English Devolution Bill will give greater powers to the metro mayors and combined authorities across England to support local growth plans. This bill will provide local mayors with far more power over skills, transportation and employment

• The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will set out new regulations intended to protect critical infrastructure from attackers.  Cybersecurity was one of the ten long-term risks to the food system, as set out by IGD earlier in the year.

What does this mean for the food system?

The announcements in the King's Speech are not hugely surprising.  Bills such as the Tobacco and Vapes Bill have cross-party support and so were expected to be maintained no matter which party won the election.

The proposed pieces of legislation were core pillars of the Labour party manifesto and some areas may have a significant impact on the food system in the UK, such as the changes to the planning system and the focus on skills.

The commitment to the Employer Rights Bill is expected to be a central mission for Labour’s first year in government and could see a number of changes including:

• Ending of ‘fire and re-hire’ practices

• Banning exploitative zero-hours contracts

• Introducing basic employment rights of protection, such as unfair dismissal, parental leave and sick pay, from day one of employment

• Making flexible working the default from day one, except where it is not ‘reasonably feasible’

• Updating trade union legislation to remove restrictions on activity

The commitment in the King's Speech to reforming the Apprenticeship Levy, with the proposed ‘Growth and Skills Levy’, offering greater flexibility and establishing Skills England, will be welcomed by business.

The proposed acceleration of devolution will lead to a decentralisation of powers in areas such as skills and employment This may have an impact on the food system and may allow for more tailored solutions given the acute labour and skills shortages that exist in specific locations across the UK.

The reference to the establishment of an ‘Industrial Strategy Council’ in a similar vein to the Office for Budget Responsibility and the Climate Change Committee, although not enshrined in legislation at this stage, could be transformative in providing long-term strategic guidance on the economy.

The food system is critical to the UK economy and to driving growth. It is the UK’s largest private sector employer accounting for 7% of economic activity and must be central to any future economic growth strategy.