With the arrival of the new government, all eyes have been on what would feature within the King’s speech to formally open Parliament as Labour present their priorities for changes to the law.
Following the speech, experts from across Thrings’ legal teams have reflected on some of the key points being made:
Property
The announcement of the General Election resulted in a number of bills and proposed legislation being dropped from the agenda with the dissolution of Parliament. This included the Renters Reform Bill, much to the disappointment of renters across the country.
This, however, looks to be reintroduced by the government, with the King’s speech making a direct reference to the introduction of legislation that would “give greater rights and protections to people renting their homes” – making specific mention to the ending of no-fault convictions and reforming grounds for possession which were both high profile features of the previous bill.
Reference was also made to progressing leasehold and commonhold reform, a reference to the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act which was one of the last pieces of legislation to receive Royal Assent under the Conservative government.
Michael Tatters, Thrings’ Head of Property Litigation, said: “The revival of a Renter’s Reform-type bill, whether under that name or something new, will be much anticipated by both landlords and tenants.
“Both groups will of course need to be prepared for this to change and, given the work that had already been done on the bill to get it so close to law, this could be sooner than they might think so it will be important to get legal advice early to ensure any changes to business practices that are required happen with plenty of time to spare before new measures are introduced.”
Clean Energy
Delivering a clean energy transition for the nation has been a long-term pledge from Labour, with the King’s Speech confirming their long-held plans for a bill to set up new publicly owned clean power company Great British Energy, which focused on accelerating investment in renewable energy.
Natalia Sokolov, Thrings’ lead on Clean Energy, said: “The new Government proposes a Local Power Plan to see GB Energy partner with local communities to develop renewable energy projects, with some profits being re-invested in the community.
“Whilst there are also negatives to consider as well as the funding side, GB Energy could increase energy security and promote the increased use of renewable sources, creating jobs across the UK giving stability in the long-term. We await with interest the draft Energy Independence Bill setting out these green proposals. ”
Planning
The “delivery of high-quality infrastructure and housing” factored in the King’s speech, with confirmation of planning reform – most likely to undo a raft of the changes introduced by the previous government. This was coupled with a target to deliver sustainable growth by encouraging more investment in skills and new technologies.
The speech also highlighted the government’s intention for greater devolution of powers from central government, including through an English Devolution Bill that would provide new powers for Metro Mayors and Combined Authorities, which could potentially keep more influence on large-scale planning at a regional level.
Fred Quartermain, Partner in the Thrings Planning and Environment team, said: “Changes to planning policy are quick to implement, with this government’s work in this area already underway with the reversal of the long-standing onshore wind ban.
“With a number of problematic policies having begun to arise from the changes introduced in the final months of the previous government, hopefully any further reform, including devolving more powers to local levels, will be well considered and offer longstanding positive change.”
Employment
Employment law is expected to see a great deal of change under the government’s plans with a number of references to workers’ rights in the King’s Speech and a promise for action to be taken that would get people back into employment following the Covid pandemic.
This notably included the introduction of a “new deal” for working people that would ban exploitative employment practices, but with little more detail. Reference was also made to Labour’s anticipated reform of the Apprenticeship Levy.
Kerrie Hunt, Thrings Head of Employment, said: “The King’s speech made a lot of positive noise in relation to workers’ rights but, with very little detail in the speech, we will have to wait and see what appears from the series of pledges made in the manifesto.
“With such a range of measures having been promised, including removing the age bands in national minimum wages and ending ‘exploitative’ zero-hour contracts, making the right to not be unfairly dismissed a day one right, strengthening protections for pregnant women and the new duty to prevent sexual harassment, it will be vital for employers to keep on top of changes as these various policies are introduced – whether that is en masse or staggered.”
