King’s Speech unveils Labour’s agenda for next 12 months

The King’s Speech took place this week at the State Opening of Parliament following the formation of the first new Labour Government in 14 years.  

40 new bills were outlined in the speech, as part of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s plan to “unlock growth and improve living standards for working people.” 

Plans that are expected to directly affect our members include a new Employment Rights Bill – which aims to ban exploitative practices such as zero-hour contracts and ending the pattern of fire and rehire. The government are unlikely to ban the seasonal zero hours contracts our members are most likely to use, however, the bill may impact bricks & mortar and less seasonal businesses.

As well as this, other aspects of the speech that could benefit members include the apprenticeship levy and planning reform.  

The King also announced Starmer’s plans to establish a publicly owned energy production company that will own, manage and operate clean power projects across the UK and develop state assets in energy. This, it says, should help drive down energy bills and contribute to the transition to clean energy. 

NCASS commented:  

“We believe that there is huge opportunity for the new government to drive growth through the independent hospitality sector and welcome a new focus on growth in business. Positives such as inflation reduction, increased growth and business rate reform are unlikely to fall this month but are expected to be addressed soon. We look forward to working with the government to champion our members and create opportunities to enable our sector to thrive again.”

For further information on The King’s Speech, visit the Government website.