How Labour will ‘take the brakes off Britain’ with King's Speech - devolution, GB Energy, railways, spending

Delivered on Wednesday, the King’s Speech is set to focus on improving living standards through economic growth, and feature over 35 Bills and draft Bills that set out the new government’s agenda under Sir Keir Starmer.

However, despite criticism from the SNP, there is no expectation this will include axing the two-child cap on benefits.

Speaking ahead of the King’s Speech, the Prime Minister said: “Now is the time to take the brakes off Britain. For too long people have been held back, their paths determined by where they came from - not their talents and hard work.

“I am determined to create wealth for people up and down the country. It is the only way our country can progress and my government is focussed on supporting that aspiration.

“Today’s new laws will take back control and lay the foundations of real change that this country is crying out for, creating wealth in every community and making people better off - supporting their ambitions, hopes and dreams.”

The package of Bills will focus on growing the economy through better transport, more jobs and making it easier to build new houses and infrastructure.

In a bid to “empower local communities”, there will also be a move to transfer power, in what the government says will “recognise the vital role local leaders play in supporting growth”.

This forms part of an attempt to start a “devolution revolution” to transfer more powers out of Westminster and into the hands of local people.

There is also expected to be the creation of a national wealth fund and GB Energy, and a boost for workers’ rights through Labour’s “new deal for working people”.

Other measures could include the reintroduction of Rishi Sunak’s proposed ban on anyone born after 2009 buying tobacco, measures to help renationalise the railways and a new, strengthened version of the Renters Reform Bill that sought to end no-fault evictions.

There will also be new legislation on spending rules, giving more power to the Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR) following the economic turmoil triggered by Liz Truss’s mini-budget in 2022.

The Bill will largely be based on the New Deal for Working People, a policy document Labour promoted in the run-up to the general election.

Matt Wrack, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), praised the speech in advance, saying: “It’s vital that the King’s Speech contains substantial and ‘oven ready’ legislation to deliver Labour’s New Deal for Working People. Words alone are not enough.

“Working people rightly expect Keir Starmer to use the King’s Speech to clearly map out a specific timescale for fulfilling the manifesto commitment and repeated promises made ahead of the general election on workers’ rights.”

Mr Wrack also stressed the importance of Labour repealing the Minimum Service Levels Act, which the previous Conservative government introduced with the aim of ensuring a minimum level of service during strikes in sectors such as transport and the NHS.

He said: “Unions have been working with Labour officials and shadow ministers for years to prepare the New Deal ahead of Labour entering office. Labour must use its massive Commons majority to get these pernicious laws off the statute book quickly.”

Speaking ahead of the speech, the SNP said there was still time for the Labour government to "do the right thing and deliver the change people in Scotland were promised” by scrapping the two-child cap.

SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn said: "People in Scotland voted for significant and substantial change at Westminster - and that promise of change must now be honoured, not broken, by the Labour government.

"The decision over whether to scrap the two child cap is an early and important litmus test of whether the Labour government is capable of delivering the full-scale change people in Scotland want to see - or whether it will impose the same damaging cuts and failed policies as the Tories.

"Eradicating child poverty is a priority for people in Scotland - and scrapping the two-child cap is the bare minimum required. There is still time for Keir Starmer to see sense. If he fails, he will be making the political choice to push thousands of Scottish children into poverty. That is inexcusable.

"The SNP will bring forward an amendment to abolish the two child cap and tackle child poverty. It will then be up to Labour MPs in Scotland to vote for it - or take responsibility for the child poverty they will cause if it stays in place."

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said: “Years of chaos under the Conservatives have left us with a stagnant economy and health services in a state of crisis. Millions of people are stuck on NHS waiting lists and struggling to get the care they need to return to work.

“Fixing the NHS and care would put rocket boosters under economic growth in our country.

“The Liberal Democrats will keep campaigning for our policies to tackle the health and care crisis and get our economy back on track. That is what millions of people voted for at the general election, we will not let them down.”

New laws designed to protect the NHS and other public services from a devastating cyber attack will meanwhile be unveiled in the King’s Speech.

Ministers are prioritising the cyber security of civilian infrastructure after learning of the “terrifying” threat posed, according to Whitehall insiders. A cyber security Bill is expected to close loopholes in existing legislation.

The Bill will require private companies involved in supply chains for the NHS, government departments and other public bodies to have protections in place against a possible hack by hostile actors or states. The public bodies themselves will also be required to have protections in place.