This was the most content heavy King’s Speech since 2005.

For the Labour Party, the King's Speech was the ‘crossing the Rubicon’ moment, from the excitement of the exit poll to setting out a programme for governance. But which manifesto commitments were in (and which were out), signalling the new government's immediate priorities.

The intention to build economic growth was evident across virtually all 40 pieces of legislation announced in the King’s Speech, including more housing, more energy and bolstering wealth creation. 

The critical note of Starmer’s first King Speech was not just growth, but a new degree of state intervention not seen since the 1970s. 

Policies and legislation broadly stuck to the tenets of Labour’s ‘first steps for change’, and had been headlined well before the King sat on The Sovereign’s Throne in the House of Lords to announce the government’s plans.

Key legislation announced included:

• Budget Responsibility Bill: Preventing significant uncosted measures being announced with sufficient scrutiny.
• National Wealth Fund Bill: Establishing the National Wealth Fund to provide investments into key industries and businesses.
• Pensions Schemes Bill: Encouraging consolidation of private pensions and provide support to private pension schemes to get better outcomes.
• Planning and Infrastructure Bill: Reforming the planning system to deliver housing and critical infrastructure.
• Employment Rights Bill: Introducing the parameters of the New Deal for Working People to strengthen worker’s rights and simplify the process for statutory recognition.

Regardless of how large a majority a government has, there are only a finite number of days in the Parliamentary calendar, which will serve as one of Starmer’s greatest challenges in his first year of passing through his legislative agenda. 

The coming weeks and months will be vital for Starmer to demonstrate how serious he is in enacting his mandate, and passing legislation into law, all whilst allowing Parliament to effectively scrutinise every Bill. 

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