The 24 things from the King's Speech that impact Scotland - pensions, immigration, energy, smoking

Sir Keir Starmer set out plans to tear up planning red tape, reform the economy and restore trust in politics in a sweeping set of changes in the Labour government’s first King’s Speech.

Representing the first King’s Speech under a Labour Government for 14 years, the package features 40 pieces of proposed legislation, which offer the first indication of the party’s priorities as it takes office.

However, this is not legislation, with the speech simply about legislation. As such, the full details of how the Bills will work isn’t always clear and won’t be until they are put before the Commons at at a later date.

Totalling 39 bills and draft bills, 24 apply in whole or part to Scotland. Here they are:

National Wealth Fund Bill

This will put the national wealth fund, announced last week with the aim of attracting billions in private sector investment to support UK growth, on a permanent statutory footing.

Pensions Schemes Bill

Measures in this Bill include consolidating defined contribution individual deferred small pension pots; introducing a value for money framework for defined contribution schemes; and requiring pension schemes to offer a range of retirement products.

Planning and Infrastructure Bill [some measures]

This will accelerate the building of homes and infrastructure by simplifying the approval process for critical infrastructure projects; ensuring compulsory purchase compensation paid to landowners is not excessive to free up more sites for development; and modernising local planning committees and improving planning authorities’ capacity.

Employment Rights Bill

Measures include a ban on zero-hours contracts and fire and rehire policies; improvements to statutory sick pay; day-one rights to flexible working and protection from unfair dismissal; establishing a fair pay agreement in the social care sector; updating trade union legislation and simplifying the process of statutory union recognition.

Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill

This helps deliver Labour’s pledge to renationalise rail services by transferring train operations to a public-sector operator as existing contracts expire or operators fail to meet their commitments and making public ownership the default position.

Railways Bill

This sets up a new public body, Great British Railways, to oversee track and trains and planning services, simplify the ticketing system and promote the use of rail freight. It also paves the way for a new watchdog, the Passenger Standards Authority.

Bank Resolution (Recapitalisation) Bill

The Bank of England will be allowed to use funds provided by the banking sector – not the taxpayer – to cover some costs of resolving failing small banks under this legislation.

Product Safety and Metrology Bill

This provides new powers to regulate new high-risk products such as lithium-ion batteries and suppliers such as online marketplaces.

Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill

This gives the new UK Border Security Command the powers needed to crack down on criminal gangs, introduces stronger penalties for organised immigration crime and modernises the asylum system to clear the backlog.

Armed Forces Commissioner Bill

This will establish a statutory commissioner for the armed forces to act as an “independent champion” for service personnel and their families and be fully empowered to investigate and highlight issues.

Digital Information and Smart Data Bill

This is aimed at boosting innovative uses of data, including by establishing digital verification services, a new digital map for underground infrastructure and smart data schemes.

Draft Audit Reform and Corporate Governance Bill

A revamped regulator, the Audit, Reporting and Governance Authority, that will aim to improve businesses’ financial reporting.

Great British Energy Bill

This will set up GB Energy, a new state-owned energy company based in Scotland, which will invest alongside the private sector in big projects facilitating the decarbonisation of the electricity grid.

Sustainable Aviation Fuel (Revenue support Mechanism) Bill

This offers revenue certainty to encourage investment in the construction of sustainable aviation fuel plants across the UK.

Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill [Reintroduced]

This delivers Labour’s manifesto pledge to bring in Martyn’s Law named after 2017 Manchester Arena bombing victim Martyn Hett. It is focused on improving security at public venues and better protecting the public from terror attacks.

Draft Equality (Race and Disability) Bill

This enshrines in law the full right to equal pay for ethnic minorities and disabled people and introduces mandatory ethnicity and disability pay reporting.

Tobacco and Vapes Bill [Reintroduced]

This reintroduces Mr Sunak’s proposed smoking ban, gradually lifting the age at which people can buy cigarettes, and it will impose limits on selling and marketing vapes.

Hillsborough Law [Public Candour] Bill

This will introduce a “legal duty of candour” for public servants in an effort to tackle the “defensive culture” highlighted in the Hillsborough and Infected Blood inquiries.

House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill

This will take a first step to modernising the upper house of Parliament by removing the right of the almost 100 remaining hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords. However, there is no sign of it being abolished.

Cyber Security and Resilience Bill

This aims to boost the country’s defences against cyber attacks that have affected the NHS and Ministry of Defence by strengthening regulators and increasing reporting requirements.

Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and International Committee of the Red Cross (Status) Bill

This will enable the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and the International Committee of the Red Cross to continue to operate fully in the UK.

Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 (Extension) Bill

This will support efforts to increase the number of female bishops in the House of Lords by extending a provision from 2015 that prioritises female diocesan bishops to fill vacancies among the 21 House of Lords bishops aside from the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Archbishop of York, and the Bishops of London, Durham and Winchester.

Budget Responsibility Bill

This will introduce a “fiscal lock” that will ensure the economic watchdog, the Office of Budget Responsibility, assesses any major tax or spending changes by the Government.

Renters Rights Bill [only in respect of discrimination against tenants on benefits or with children]

This wide-ranging Bill’s measures include a ban on so-called no-fault evictions; empowering tenants to challenge rent increases and to request a pet; setting rules around the timeframes within which landlords must make homes safer for private renters, known as Awaab’s Law, and applying a “decent homes standard” to the sector. However, in Scotland, it solely stops discrimination against tenants on benefits or those with children.