King Charles' Speech unveils 39 new bills, with the Employment Rights Bill set to transform workplace protections and conditions across the UK.
King Charles has formally opened Parliament today, delivering a comprehensive King’s Speech with plans for 39 new pieces of legislation. For comparison, Johnson’s 2019 Queen’s Speech contained 22 bills, while Blair’s 1997 and Cameron’s 2015 Queen’s Speeches both contained 26. The government is not constrained by the King’s Speech, so the final number of bills on the statute books could exceed this.
The legislative programme is set to be extremely busy, with the government focused on delivering Labour’s manifesto priorities. Expect compressed recesses and long parliamentary sittings as the Prime Minister pushes forward his agenda, including some legislation previously promised by the outgoing Conservative government.
Six days of debate on the speech will now follow in the Houses of Commons and Lords. The government will introduce the bills in three waves: immediately following today’s speech, another in the autumn, and the third wave in early 2025. The session is expected to last 18-24 months to get everything over the line.
Flagship Legislation: Employment Rights Bill
Employment Rights Bill
Goals:
- Make work pay and legislate a New Deal for Working People.
- Create a new partnership between business, trade unions, and working people.
- Deliver a living wage that accounts for the cost of living and remove age bands.
Key Provisions:
- Ban exploitative zero-hours contracts.
- End fire and rehire practices.
- Make parental leave, sick pay, and protection from unfair dismissal available from day one for all workers.
- Strengthen Statutory Sick Pay by removing the lower earnings limit and waiting period.
- Make flexible working the default from day one for all workers.
- Strengthen protections for new mothers.
- Establish a new Single Enforcement Body, the Fair Work Agency, to enforce workplace rights.
- Establish a Fair Pay Agreement in the adult social care sector.
- Reinstate the School Support Staff Negotiating Body.
- Update trade union legislation to fit a modern economy, removing unnecessary restrictions on trade union activity.
- Simplify the process of statutory recognition.
Want even more insights?
At QPS, we are dedicated to supporting businesses with expert payroll and financial services, and offering insightful analysis and practical advice on employment and tax legislation. Our mission is to help businesses navigate complex regulatory landscapes with confidence. This is why we’ve taken the time to go through the new Labour manifesto and highlight the bits that are most important to you, giving you insights and expert analysis on its implications for employment, tax, and business support.
