The government is preparing a packed king’s speech containing at least 30 bills, including sweeping plans on housebuilding, green energy, crime and voter registration, the Guardian has learned. Labour ministers have drawn up plans for a busy legislative programme focused on delivering the priorities set up in the party’s manifesto. The speech, which will be delivered by King Charles on Wednesday at the state opening of parliament, is being finalised but is set to include a democracy bill to introduce automatic voter registration. It may also fulfil Labour’s manifesto commitment to lower the voting age to 16. The speech is also set to include legislation to boost housebuilding and a “take back control” bill devolving powers over energy, transport, skills and planning to mayors and councils. This is expected to include powers to reinstate cancelled bus routes and set affordable fares. There will be legislation empowering the Office for Budget Responsibility to publish independent forecasts of major fiscal events, intended to avoid a repeat of Liz Truss’s disastrous mini-budget in 2022. Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, pledged to introduce this bill in her first 100 days in office. The speech is also set to include an energy independence bill, which will unveil the new publicly owned clean energy company GB Energy, and legislation to nationalise the railways. At least two Home Office bills are expected: a border security bill giving authorities powers to treat people smugglers like terrorists, and a crime bill to crack down on antisocial behaviour and county lines drug trafficking.
Several technology-related bills, including one strengthening AI regulation, may also be included. Labour’s election manifesto pledged to ban creating sexually explicit deepfake images. A race equality bill enshrining equal pay rights for ethnic minority staff is likely to be included. Ministers will use the king’s speech to resurrect legislation promised by the previous Conservative government, including bills to phase out smoking for the next generation and to create an independent regulator in England for men’s elite football. The speech is expected to include Martyn’s law, which would require venues to take steps to prepare for terror attacks and is named after Martyn Hett, a victim of the 2017 Manchester Arena terror attack. His mother said she felt let down by Rishi Sunak, who promised to introduce the law but did not bring it forward this summer before he called the election. The speech is also set to include a Hillsborough law, which would introduce a duty for public servants to tell the truth during public inquiries and criminal investigations. Both these bills were Labour manifesto commitments. A senior Labour source said the plans for the king’s speech demonstrated that the upcoming parliamentary session would be packed. The 2019 queen’s speech, delivered after Boris Johnson won his 80-seat Tory majority, contained 22 bills in its main text, with an extra six in the accompanying documents. The queen’s speeches in 1997, after Tony Blair won his first landslide, and in 2015, when David Cameron won his surprise majority, both contained 26 bills. There have also been internal discussions about the prospect of carrying out a population-based boundary review. This would redraw constituencies’ boundaries according to the size of their populations – including children and immigrants – instead of the number of registered voters. Some have argued the existing system results in unbalanced constituencies, with inner-city MPs having to represent much larger populations. Downing Street declined to comment on the contents of the speech. House of Lords authorities have scheduled five days of debate on the speech, starting with its announcements on energy, the environment and housebuilding on 18 July. Following the debates, the government will start introducing the bills. The party has promised to bring forward several pieces of legislation, including on fiscal responsibility and workers’ rights, within its first 100 days in power. The Commons will break for a four-week summer recess at the end of July before returning at the start of September. Recess was shortened by a week following the election, after Keir Starmer said he wanted more time to set out his government’s first steps. On Friday Starmer is returning from Washington, where he attended the Nato leaders’ summit and met the US president, Joe Biden. • This article was amended on 17 July 2024. An earlier version said that the king’s speech was happening on Tuesday 16 July 2024 instead on Wednesday 17 July 2024.