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The government has set out its legislative agenda for the next year in the King’s Speech.

The announcements focus on three priorities – growing the economy, strengthening society and keeping people safe.

Here, Sky News looks at each bill included in the speech, and what it aims to deliver.

Reaction as King sets out PM’s legislative agenda – follow live

Growing the economy

Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill

This will support the future licensing of new oil and gas fields, in a move the government says will enhance the UK’s energy security, but which has been criticised by green campaigners.

Trade (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) Bill

This will “secure benefits of Brexit” by enabling the UK’s formal accession to an Indo-Pacific trade bloc of 11 nations, including Australia and Japan, after it signed an agreement to do so earlier this year.

Automated Vehicles Bill

A new legal framework to enable self-driving cars to be used on Britain’s roads.

Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill

Aims to make it harder for firms to trap people in unwanted subscription contracts, take action against fake reviews and drip pricing, and increase competition between big tech firms.

Data Protection and Digital Information Bill

This aims to update the UK’s data protection laws post-Brexit and strengthen the regulator.

Media Bill

A bill to “support the creative industries and protect public interest journalism”. This includes repealing a law requiring media outlets to pay all legal costs in libel cases, regardless of who won.

Arbitration Bill

This bill seeks to modernise the law on dispute resolutions known as arbitration – which take place outside of the courts, including allowing arbitrators to kick out baseless claims quickly and strengthening the courts’ supporting powers.

Draft Rail Reform Bill

This is a draft bill to create a new public sector body, Great British Railways (GBR), aimed at reforming the rail sector. Being in draft form means it is unlikely the legislation will make it on to the statute books in this parliamentary session, or before the next general election.

Strengthening society

Tobacco and Vapes Bill

This aims to introduce a “smoke-free generation” by stopping children turning 14 this year or younger from ever legally buying cigarettes in England. Also aims to crack down on vaping among youngsters.

Leasehold and Freehold Bill

Brings forward long-awaited plans for leasehold reform, including capping ground rents and extending the length of leases from 90 to 990 years. But the proposals have been watered down, with new flats excluded from the plan to phase out leaseholds on new properties.

Renters (Reform) Bill

Carried over from the last parliament, this bill aimed at strengthening renters’ rights includes a long-awaited ban on “no-fault” evictions – but only after stronger possession grounds for landlords and a new court process are in place. It also strengthens powers to evict anti-social tenants and ends a blanket ban on pets.

Football Governance Bill

Legislation to safeguard the future of football clubs for the benefit of communities and fans. This includes the establishment of a new independent football regulator, with the body set to have powers to step in and resolve how money flows from the Premier League down the pyramid.

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Campaign group Republic said close to 200 people attended the protest

Pedicabs (London) Bill

Enables Transport for London to introduce fare controls and a licensing regime for pedicabs – the only form of unregulated transport on the capital’s roads – and bar them from congested areas.

Holocaust Memorial Bill

This will progress the construction of a national Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre in Victoria Tower Gardens.

Animal Welfare (Live Stock Exports) Bill

Mentioned in explanatory notes of the speech, but not the speech itself, this is a ban on the live export of livestock for slaughter and fattening. The government promised to keep this after the flagship animal welfare bill, which was wider in scope, was dropped. The new bill does not include measures to outlaw the importation of hunting trophies, as promised in the 2019 Tory manifesto.

Economic Activities of Public Bodies Bill

A bill “to ban public bodies from implementing their own politically motivated boycotts of foreign countries”.

More on this story:
Hard to see how Sunak’s first King’s Speech won’t be his last

Keeping people safe

Sentencing Bill

Aims to ensure dangerous offenders are locked up for longer and rapists and sex offenders service their full sentences. Short sentences will also be reformed to help low-level offenders rehabilitate.

Criminal Justice Bill

Forces criminals to attend their sentencing hearings; gives police powers to enter a property without a court warrant to seize stolen goods; criminalises the sharing of intimate images and allows the transfer of prisoners in and out of England and Wales to serve their sentence abroad.

Investigatory Powers (Amendment) Bill

Security and intelligence services will be handed powers “they need” and “will strengthen independent judicial oversight”.

Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill

Also known as Martyn’s Law, the bill requires venues to take steps to be better prepared to respond if there is a terrorist attack.

Victims and Prisoners Bill

This will give ministers the power to stop the parole of the worst offenders and prevent them getting married. It will also see creation of Independent Public Advocate to support victims of major disasters like Hillsborough.

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Gaming data is the next AI battleground

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Gaming data is the next AI battleground

Gaming data is the next AI battleground

Gaming’s behavioral data is rapidly becoming the most sought-after resource in AI. Game telemetry fuels next-gen AI agents for everything from logistics to finance. The battle for gaming data is on.

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Rachel Reeves turning around UK’s finances ‘like Steve Jobs did for Apple’, claims minister

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Rachel Reeves turning around UK's finances 'like Steve Jobs did for Apple', claims minister

Rachel Reeves will turn around the economy the way Steve Jobs turned around Apple, a cabinet minister has suggested ahead of the upcoming spending review.

Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle compared the chancellor to the late Apple co-founder when asked on Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips where the £86bn for his department is coming from.

Politics Live: Winter fuel payment cut to be dealt with ‘in run up to autumn’

Steve Jobs. Pic: Reuters
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Apple Inc. chief executive Steve Jobs, who died in 2011. Pic: Reuters

Rachel Reeves
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Chancellor Rachel Reeves


The package, confirmed ahead of the full spending review next week, will see each region in England granted £500m to spend on science projects of their choice, including research into faster drug treatments.

Asked by Trevor Phillips how the government is finding the money, Mr Kyle said: “Rachel raised money in taxes in the autumn, we are now allocating it per department.

“But the key thing is we are going to be investing record amounts of money into the innovations of the future.

“Just bear in mind that how Apple turned itself around when Steve Jobs came back to Apple, they were 90 days from insolvency. That’s the kind of situation that we had when we came into office.

“Steve Jobs turned it around by inventing the iMac, moving to a series of products like the iPod.

“Now we are starting to invest in the vaccine processes of the future, some of the high-tech solutions that are going to be high growth. We’re investing in our space sector… they will create jobs in the future.”

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The spending review is a process used by governments to set departmental budgets for the years ahead.

Asked if it will include more detail on who will receive winter fuel payments, Mr Kyle said that issue will be “dealt with in the run-up to the autumn”.

“This is a spending review that’s going to set the overall spending constraints for government for the next period, the next three years, so you’re sort of talking about two separate issues at the moment,” he said.

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‘So we won’t get an answer on winter fuel this week?

Scrapping universal winter fuel payments was one of the first things Labour did in government – despite it not being in their manifesto – with minsters saying it was necessary because of the financial “blackhole” left behind by the Tories.

But following a long-drawn out backlash, Sir Keir Starmer said last month that the government would extend eligibility, which is now limited to those on pension credit.

Read more: Spending review 2025 look ahead

It is not clear what the new criteria will be, though Ms Reeves has said the changes will come into place before this winter.

Mr Kyle also claimed the spending review will see the government invest “the most we’ve ever spent per pupil in our school system”.

However, he said the chancellor will stick to her self-imposed fiscal rules – which rule out borrowing for day-to-day spending – meaning that while some departments will get extra money, others are likely to face cuts.

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Minister dismisses US misgivings over Chinese ‘super embassy’ in London – as Tories warn of ‘espionage base’

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Minister dismisses US misgivings over Chinese 'super embassy' in London - as Tories warn of 'espionage base'

A minister has dismissed reported US misgivings about plans for a Chinese “super embassy” near London’s financial districts.

Peter Kyle told Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips that security concerns will be “taken care of assiduously in the planning process”.

Politics live: Winter fuel payment cut to be dealt with ‘in run up to autumn’

There have been protests against the proposed site of the new Chinese embassy, outside Royal Mint Court. Pic: Reuters
Image:
There have been protests against the new Chinese embassy. Pic: Reuters

According to The Sunday Times, the White House has warned Downing Street against the proposed massive embassy at Royal Mint Court.

The site is between financial hubs in the City of London and Canary Wharf and close to three data centres, raising concerns about espionage risk.

Asked for the government’s view on the risk, Mr Kyle said: “These issues will be taken care of assiduously in the planning process.

“But just to reassure people, we deal with embassies and these sorts of infrastructure issues all the time.

“We are very experienced and we are very aware of these sorts of issues constantly, not just when new buildings are being done, but all the time.”

He added that America and Britain “share intelligence iteratively” and if they raise security concerns through the planning process “we will have a fulsome response for them”.

However, shadow home secretary Chris Philp said he shared the US’s concerns.

He told Trevor Phillips: “I agree with the United States. We think it is a security risk in the government.

“The Conservatives were very clear. We should not be allowing the Chinese to build the super embassy. It is likely to become a base for their pan-European espionage activities.”

He added that underneath the sites are cables connecting the City of London to Canary Wharf and these could be intercepted.

Sky News has contacted the Chinese embassy for comment.

Read More: Diplomatic win for UK hosting US-China trade talks

China has been attempting to revise plans for the Royal Mint building, opposite the Tower of London, since purchasing it in 2018.

The proposal for the embassy, which would be China’s largest in Europe, was previously rejected by Tower Hamlets council in 2022.

However, Beijing resubmitted it in August after Labour won the election, and the plans were “called in” by Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister and housing secretary.

It means that an inspector will be appointed to carry out an inquiry into the proposal, but the decision ultimately rests with central government rather than the local authority.

Two large protests were held at the site in February and March, which organisers claimed involved thousands of people.

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