We examine the proposed legislations in the Queens Speech today and what they mean for the country under a One Nation Conservative Government.
Deliver security for working people
- Digital Economy Bill: Creates jobs and make Britain a world leader in the digital economy, with new obligations on broadband providers to make sure everyone in Britain has access to an affordable high speed internet connection.
- Modern Transport Bill: Puts Britain at the forefront of the modern transport revolution, to create new jobs and fuel economic growth around the country. It will include legislation to enable the future development of the UK’s first commercial spaceports and new laws to make the UK ready to pioneer driverless cars.
- Neighbourhood Planning and Infrastructure Bill: Reforms planning and give local communities more power and control to shape their own area. That means building more houses and everyone who works hard the chance to buy their own home.
- Local Growth and Jobs Bill: Represents the biggest change in local finance for decades, giving local authorities full control of the money they raise through business rates, so they can attract business and investment to their local areas. It will include a transfer of up to £13 billion to councils through allowing them to retain 100 per cent of the business rates they collect.
Increase life chances for the most disadvantaged
- Children and Social Work Bill: Aims to improve the standard of social work and opportunities for young people in care in England, so to give our future generations the hope of a better life. It will include changes to the considerations that courts must take into account in adoption decisions, tipping the balance in favour of permanent adoption where that is the right thing for the child, and new system of regulating social workers.
- Education for All Bill: Extends the principles of freedom and accountability across the country to encourage academic excellence and give every child the best start in life. It will include new laws to expand the academies programme in the poorest performing local authority areas and a new funding formula to deliver fair funding for every school and pupil in the country.
- Higher Education and Research Bill: Encourages new universities that will help educate the next generation, granting young people from all backgrounds the opportunity to go to university. It will include measures to make it easier for new high quality universities to open and new requirements on all universities to publish detailed information about application, offer and progression rates to put a spotlight on social mobility.
- Prisons and Courts Reform Bill: Represents the biggest reform of prison system since Victorian times, ensuring they are not just a place of punishment but also rehabilitation, so everyone has the chance to get on the right track. It will include new powers for prison governors to allow them unprecedented levels of control over all aspects of prison management.
- Lifetime Savings Bill: Helps people to save and make plans for the future, build the financial resilience and security of people across the country – especially the young and those on low incomes. It will include the new Help to Save scheme and a new Lifetime ISA for young people.
- National Citizen Service Bill: Expands the hugely successful National Citizen Service so more young people can mix with people of other backgrounds, and learn what it means to serve their community.
Strengthen national security
- Bill of Rights: Supports and reinforces Britain’s long-standing commitment to human rights and restore common sense to the way human rights law is applied. It will include measures to reform and modernise the UK human rights framework, and protections against abuse of the system and misuse of human rights laws.
- Counter-Extremism and Safeguarding Bill: Gives law enforcement agencies new powers to protect vulnerable people – including children – from those who seek to brainwash them with extremism propaganda, to build a stronger society around shared values of tolerance and respect.
- Criminal Finances Bill: Cements the UK’s leading role in the fight against international corruption, cracking down on money laundering and people profiting from crime and root out corruption. It will include a new criminal offence for corporations that fail to stop staff facilitating tax evasion.
- Policing and Crime Bill: Reforms out-of-date complaints and disciplinary procedures, so we increase public confidence in the people who keep the country safe. It will include a new duty to collaborate on all three emergency services, to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
- Investigatory Powers Bill: Bolster our security apparatus and give law enforcement agencies the tools they need to protect the public in the digital age, while building confidence in the public that powers are operated sensibly.