2023 King's Speech

To summarise, courtesy of the BBC:

– A Sentencing Bill will require whole-life sentences for the worst murders
– A Criminal Justice Bill will introduce measures to force criminals to appear in the dock, and give police new powers to enter buildings without a warrant to seize stolen goods
– The already-published Victims and Prisoners Bill would prevent certain prisoners from marrying, create new rights for crime victims, and deliver Jade's Law on parental rights (limiting parental rights for parents in jail for murder)
– An Investigatory Powers (Amendment) Bill will give law enforcement agencies greater access to certain personal data
– The existing Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill will force UK venues to draw up anti-terror plans
– A Leasehold and Freehold Bill will ban leaseholds for new houses, but not new flats, in England and Wales, and increase the standard lease extension period to 990 years
– The existing Renters (Reform) Bill will deliver a long-promised ban on "no-fault" evictions in England but this will only come into force after reforms to the court system
– Licences for oil and gas projects in the North Sea to be awarded annually, under the Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill
– An Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill will ban the export of cattle from Great Britain for fattening and slaughter
– An Automated Vehicles Bill will set a legal framework in Great Britain for self-driving cars
– Pledges to strengthen consumer rights online and tackle fake reviews are contained in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill
– The existing Data Protection and Digital Information Bill will replace the data protection regime the UK inherited from the EU
– The Media Bill, published in draft form earlier this year, will scrap a never-enacted rule forcing media companies to pay the legal bills of people who sue them, even if they win
– A Tobacco and Vapes Bill will deliver plans for a phased ban on smoking, and introduce restrictions on the packaging and marketing of vapes
– A regulator for the top five tiers of English professional football will be established by the Football Governance Bill
– A Pedicabs (London) Bill will give Transport for London new powers to regulate pedal-powered taxi cabs in the capital
– An Arbitration Bill will introduce new rules for individuals and businesses to resolve disputes without going to court
– A Trade Bill will enable the UK to join the 11-nation CPTPP trade pact with several countries in Asia and the Pacific
– The Holocaust Memorial Bill will enable a Holocaust memorial to be built in Victoria Tower Gardens, near the Houses of Parliament
– Public bodies will be banned from boycotting Israel under the Economic Activities of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill
– A Rail Reform Bill creating a new body to oversee the railway in Great Britain is included, but only in draft form