The King’s Speech was delivered on 17 July, and set out Labour’s legislative agenda and priorities for the coming months.
As part of his speech King Charles discussed a number of government plans that you may be particularly interested in as a business owner, and we’ve summarised these below, together with details from the King’s Speech briefing notes, available here.
1. Employment Rights Bill
As discussed in our recent blog, the new Labour government has pledged to implement a number of changes to employment laws during its term, in order to improve working conditions and employee benefits as laid out in Labour’s Plan to Make Work Pay. The King announced that the new government wants to ban exploitative practices and enhance employment rights.
The government has indicated that in relation to employment law it intends to (among other things):
- Ban exploitative ‘zero-hours’ contracts
- End the practice of ‘fire and rehire’
- Introduce ‘day-one’ rights to parental leave, sick pay and protection from unfair dismissal
- Strengthen rights to equal pay and protections from maternity and menopause discrimination and sexual harassment
- Strengthen trade unions
- Consult on reducing the current three-tier system of workers, employees and self-employed, to a two-tier system of workers and the genuinely self-employed
- Make it easier to enforce employment rights
- Ensure the minimum wage takes into account the cost of living
You can find more details on these policies in our recent blog.
The King also indicated that the government will regulate those working on powerful artificial intelligence models. Watch this space for more.
2. Draft Equality (Race and Disability) Bill
Legislation on race equality is planned, to enshrine the full right to equal pay in law for ethnic minorities and those living with disabilities. Mandatory ethnicity and disability pay reporting will apply to large employers with more than 250 employees.
3. Arbitration Bill
The Arbitration Bill is intended to improve the effectiveness of dispute resolution and attract international legal business to the UK. It will strengthen arbitrator immunity against liability, empower arbitrators to make summary awards on issues that have no real prospect of success, and support emergency arbitrators to have the same enforcement abilities as other arbitrators.
4. Product Safety and Metrology Bill
This bill intends to ensure a continued supply of safe goods in the UK market, by responding to new product risks and opportunities (such as AI) and addressing challenges, such as fire risks associated with lithium-ion batteries and e-bikes.
The government intends to ensure those involved in supplying products (such as online marketplaces) have clear responsibilities, so consumers can have confidence in the products they buy and who they are buying from. The government also wants to update the law to be able to recognise (or end recognition of) updates and reforms to EU product regulations, depending on what is in the best interest of consumers.
5. Digital Information and Smart Data Bill
The government wants to reform data sharing and standards and give the ICO stronger powers and a more modern structure.
It has indicated that it intends to:
- Establish Digital Verification Services, to help people adopt and create trusted digital identities, and to enable smoother, cheaper and more secure online transactions
- Develop a National Underground Asset Register to assist planners and excavators
- Set up Smart Data schemes, to allow a customer to securely share data with authorised third-party providers.
6. Audit reform and corporate governance
This bill intends to increase scrutiny of companies’ accounts, as well as to hold company directors accountable for serious failures in relation to their financial reporting and audit responsibilities.
7. Planning and Infrastructure Bill
The King declared that the government intends to ‘get Britain building’ to deliver high quality infrastructure and housing, including through planning reform. The government will also encourage investment in industry, skills and new technologies.
Government plans include:
- Fast-tracking the planning process for priority growth areas of the economy, such as battery factories, laboratories, and 5G infrastructure
- Providing businesses and local communities with potential incentives, which could include cheaper energy bills
- Setting clearer national guidance for developers on engagement and consultation requirements with local communities
8. English Devolution Bill
Certain powers will be transferred away from Westminster, to local mayors and combined authorities. This will support local growth plans that bring economic benefit to communities. Labour will give local communities a ‘right to buy’ valued community assets, such as empty shops, pubs and community spaces, which will help to revamp high streets and fill empty premises.
9. Great British Energy Bill
A bill will be introduced to set up Great British Energy, a publicly owned clean power company headquartered in Scotland, which will help accelerate investment in renewable energy such as offshore wind. Legislation will be brought forward to help the country achieve energy independence and unlock investment in energy infrastructure.
The government has also indicated its intention to set up a National Wealth Fund, which will invest in priority sectors and improve the UK’s ability to leverage green investment.
Other plans put forward in the King’s Speech include legislation to give greater rights to renters, legislation around leasehold and commonhold reform, legislation to bring rail services back into public ownership, legislation to tackle retail crime and reduce shoplifting, restrictions on sale of tobacco and vapes, and on advertising of junk food to children, and more. You can find the full King’s Speech here.
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Marion joined Sparqa Legal as a Senior Legal Editor in 2018. She previously worked as a corporate/commercial lawyer for five years at one of New Zealand’s leading law firms, Kensington Swan (now Dentons Kensington Swan), and as an in-house legal consultant for a UK tech company. Marion regularly writes for Sparqa’s blog, contributing across its commercial, IP and health and safety law content.