King's Speech in full - how 40 laws affect you from vaping rules to football and renting

Keir Starmer has vowed to deliver “real change that transforms lives” as Labour revealed its plans in the King’s Speech.

The Prime Minister said the 40 new laws set out a “clear destination for our country” as he promised to get on with the job immediately. Legislation will be introduced to get Britain building, stop young people smoking, renationalise the railways, give workers extra rights and finally take lethal ninja swords off our streets.

The bumper plan includes a larger number of bills and draft bills than Tony Blair announced in 1997. The last time a Labour government presented a King’s Speech, Clement Attlee was in Downing Street and George VI was on the throne.

On Wednesday, Mr Starmer said: “People up and down the country have voted decisively for change. My Labour government will honour the promises we have made to deliver that change. We will work with any person, no matter who they voted for or what colour rosette they wear, who wants our country to succeed.”

The PM warned that “rebuilding our country will not happen overnight”, but he said his government would offer “patient work and serious solutions” rather than “the snake oil charm of populism may sound seductive, but it drives us into the dead end of further division and greater disappointment”.

Smoking and vaping

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will ban anyone born after January 1 2009 from legally buying cigarettes. It will regulate the flavours, packaging and display of vapes to stop vapes and other consumer nicotine products from being "deliberately branded and advertised to appeal to children". Shops who sell tobacco and vape products will be fined with enforcement authorities given the power to issue Fixed Penalty Notices. The Bill will extend across the UK, although measures will vary in different countries.

Rishi Sunak had hoped the smoking ban would be his legacy as PM but called a snap election before the legislation could get through. Labour had backed the Tories plan in the last Parliament and pledged to revive it if they got into No10.

More money in pockets

An average earner who saves over their lifetime will get thousands more in their pension pots under changes set out in the Pension Schemes Bill. The new law will prevent people from losing track of their pension pots and require pension schemes to offer retirement products "so people have a pension and not just a savings pot when they stop work". It will also ensure the Pensions Ombudsman acts as a competent court to alleviate pressures on the courts system.

A genuine living wage that accounts for the cost of living will be introduced under the Employments Rights Bill. Exploitative zero-hour contracts and fire and rehire tactics will be banned. The legislation will also make parental leave, sick pay and protection from unfair dismissal available from day one on the job, as well as strengthen Statutory Sick Pay. A Fair Pay Agreement in the adult social care sector will also be established and the School Support Staff Negotiating Body will be reinstated. Flexible working will also be made the default for all workers.

Crime crackdown and victims' rights

Lethal ninja swords will finally be banned under the Crime and Policing Bill, which will also include clampdowns on anti-social behaviour, violence against women and girls and retail crime. A new law will see those who exploit children by recruiting them to gangs face tough sanctions. Services to support youngsters being drawn into gangs will be ramped up, and bosses at online firms that allow illegal knife sales will be targeted. Neighbourhood policing will be expanded, while forces will be required to allocate more resources to dealing with domestic abuse, rape and sex offences. A new spiking law will also come into place.

One of the key measures that will come in are Respect Orders - similar to ASBOs under New Labour. These will allow police to clamp down on street drinking, off-road bikes and other nuisance and dangerous behaviour. Failure to comply will mean criminal sanctions. The new Government will also tackle retail crime head-on. It will undo a Tory law change that means shoplifting below the value of £200 is treated as a minor offence, as well as creating a new offence of assaulting a retail worker.

The Victims, Courts and Public Protection Bill will focus on strengthening support for victims of antisocial behaviour. It will force offenders to attend their sentencing hearings, something that was promised by the Tories but was dropped, in a devastating blow to victims and their families. In April Thomas Cashman refused to leave his cell when he was sentenced for murdering nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel in Liverpool. Other offenders who have refused to attend sentencing hearings include the murderers of Zara Aleena and Sabina Nessa.

Bus and Rail

Rail firms will be given notice that they will lose their franchises once contracts expire - or they fail to meet their commitments. The Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill is the first step towards bring the rail network back into public ownership. A public-sector operator will become the default position rather than a last resort.

The Government will set up Great British Railways to fix the country's failing rail network. The new public body will bring together track and trains in a new Railways Bill, and take over the day to day running of the railways. Ticketing will be reformed so passengers can get automatic delay repay as well as digital pay as you go and season tickets. A new passenger watchdog will be set up. While the legislation is passing through Parliament, a shadow GBR body will be set up to get cracking on the work.

Local leaders will be able to take back control of buses, ending the postcode lottery of service. The Better Buses Bill will speed up the bus franchising process and empower local authorities with more control over bus funding.

Rail services in the north of England will be boosted, with powers for infrastructure in Manchester including new stations at Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport. The northern leg of HS2 - which was scrapped by the Tories - will not be revived but the High Speed Rail (Crewe to Manchester ) Bill will be repurposed to boost east to west routes in the north.

Housing and planning

No fault evictions will be finally banned under a new Renters’ Rights Bill. The beefed-up legislation replaces the last Government's Renters Reform Bill, which was repeatedly delayed and watered down. It will abolish Section 21 notices and strengthen tenants rights. People will be able to request the right to have pets and landlords will be ordered to apply a decent homes standard in the private rented sector. It will become illegal for landlords to discriminate against families claiming benefits or with children. 'Awaab's Law' will be applied to the private sector, to force landlords to fix issues like damp and mould within strict time limits.

Old-fashioned leasehold rules will be overhauled, giving homeowners greater rights to extend their lease and buy their freehold. The Draft Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill will regulate extortionate ground rents so existing leaseholders aren't hit with unregulated and unaffordable costs.

Local leaders will be given greater powers under an English Devolution Bill. Town halls will be able to request powers on things like planning, local transport, skills and employment support. Devolution will become the default setting rather than forcing local leaders to beg for more authority.

Planning rules will be overhauled to speed up green infrastructure projects and housebuilding. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will strip away red tape to allow upgrades to the national grid and renewable energy projects to help the transition to clean power. Local councils will be given greater capacity to make decisions on developments and planning committees will be modernised.

Football overhaul

Labour has pledged to make the UK the best place in the world to be a football fan. The new Football Governance Bill aims to achieve that by making sure fans are involved in decisions and stopping clubs collapsing. There will be an independent watchdog set up to make sure clubs are well run and supporters have their voices heard.

The Bill will also stop kits, names and badges being drastically changed without supporters' approval. There will also be rules to make sure cash is shared out between the different leagues. The watchdog will have to approve stadium sales and moves, and teams won't be allowed to form breakaway leagues - as almost happened with the European Super League in 2021.

Great British Energy and Clean Energy Superpower

The new public-owned Great British Energy will drive down bills, create new jobs and help tackle climate change, ministers believe. The Great British Energy Bill will set up the company and allow the Government to give it the financial backing it needs. It will receive £8.3billion over the next five years and work with the private sector to invest in cheap and cleaner power. To help ensure the Government delivers a greener economy, the National Wealth Fund Bill will create a £7.3billion fund to accelerate private investment. It will aim to generate £3 of private sector investment for every £1 it invests.

The sickening state of England and Wales' rivers, lakes and seas will be tackled by the Water (Special Measures) Bill. This will see water company bosses face personal criminal liability for lawbreaking, and give regulators the power to block bonuses if they're not doing enough to stop pollution. Customers will be able to hold bosses to account, with new 'severe' fines being brought in. Firms will also be required to bring in real-time monitors at every sewage outlet to make sure they're being properly monitored.

'Outdated' restrictions on what can be done on land owned by the King are set to be lifted. The Crown Estate Bill will award more freedom to pursue green energy projects and borrow money. The Crown Estate, which includes the seabeds in England and Wales and assets including the Ascot Racecourse, returns profits to the Government so it can be invested back into public services, raising over £3billion in a decade. The Bill would give it more flexibility to raise this sum further.

Another key part of the Government's green mission is producing sustainable fuel for planes. The Sustainable Aviation Fuel (Revenue Support Mechanism) Bill will support producers to expand their UK operations while helping decarbonisation.

Immigration

One of the massive problems Labour inherited was the small boats crisis and the spiralling cost of the asylum system. The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill will bring in new measures to target people smugglers by introducing stronger penalties. This means everyone in the supply chain - such as those who advertise smuggling gangs or supply material to make small boats - will be in line for tougher penalties. The Bill will give counter-terrorism-style powers to the new Border Security Command, which will crack down on criminal gangs. It will dismantle the "incredibly costly" Migration and Economic Development Partnership with Rwanda and redirect cash to the Border Security Command.

Terrorism

Labour will also finally bring in Martyn's Law after years of Tory failure. Named after Martyn Hett, who was among 22 victims of the 2017 Manchester Arena suicide bombing, it will require venues and events to have a terrorism prevention plan in place. The Bill, formally called the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill, will force premises to take steps to reduce the risk of an attack, or the harm that would be caused if an attack did occur.

Education

A Children’s Wellbeing Bill will be introduced to "to raise standards in education and promote children’s wellbeing”. It will require primary schools to provide free breakfast clubs and limit the amount of expensive branded uniform parents have to buy. The Bill will also force local councils to keep a register of children not in school to prevent kids falling between the cracks. It will order all schools to teach a national curriculum and bring multi academy trusts into the inspection system. Measures will be brought forward to scrap VAT exemptions on private schools at a later date.

The Skills England Bill will set up a new body to simplify and improve the skills system to provide a highly trained workforce.

Equalities

Equal pay for ethnic minorities and disabled people will be enshrined in the Draft Equality (Race and Disability) Bill. The legislation will introduce mandatory ethnicity and disability pay reporting for employers with more than 250 employees. Abusive conversion therapy practices first promised by the Tories six years ago will finally be eradicated through a Conversion Practices Bill. The Government will "bring forward a full, trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices" in England and Wales.

Mental health reforms

The Government will reform what the Mental Health Act, which it describes as "woefully out of date", through its Mental Health Bill. It sets out plans to give patients "greater choice, autonomy, rights and support" and hopes to contribute to the Government's overall aim to tackle the mental health crisis and reduce suicide.

The Bill will revise the detention criteria to ensure that detention and treatment under the Mental Health Act takes place only when necessary. In its manifesto, Labour criticised current laws that discriminate against Black people who are much more likely to be detained than others. The Bill also will further limit the extent to which people with a learning disability and/or autistic people can be detained and treated under the law. An interesting part of the bill will see police stations and prisons removed from the Mental Health Act as "places of safety".

Serving the country

The Hillsborough Law will place a legal duty on public servants and authorities to be honest. It will address "the unacceptable defensive culture" across public sector, which was highlighted by the experiences of the Hillsborough families and the recent Infected Blood Inquiry report. The Holocaust Memorial Bill will support the building of a national Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre next to Parliament in London.

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and International Committee of the Red Cross (Status) Bill will introduce a law to change the status of both named organisations so they are treated the same as formally recognised international organisations. It will give them special privileges and immunities.

Armed Forces

An Armed Forces Commissioner will be created to strengthen support for men and women who have served our country and to investigate any issues they face under the Armed Forces Commissioner Bill. The Government has criticised the current Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023, which it says denies families and victims of the Troubles justice. It will repeal it and replace it with new legislation, which will be set after a consultation.

Hereditary peers

Hereditary peers will no longer be able to sit and vote in the House of Lords under the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill. Hereditary peers are those who inherited their title from their parents. Meanwhile the Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 (Extension) Bill will extend current laws to increase the number of female bishops in the House of Lords.

National security and tech

As cyber attacks and hostile actors increase, the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will expand and strengthen the regulation of digital services. It will also increased incident reporting to give government better date on cyber attacks.

Fast-paced advances in tech like AI mean the UK needs modernised laws to keep up. Consumers will be more protected by laws introduced through the Product Safety and Metrology Bill, which will provide regulatory stability and respond to new product risks and opportunities. Data will be better used and protected through new measures in the Digital Information and Smart Data Bill. The legislation will enable more public services to become digital as well as establishing the use of digital verification to help with things like moving house, pre-employment checks, and buying age restricted goods.

Economic Stability

Laws to ensure the mistakes of Liz Truss mini-budget are never repeated will be introduced under the Budget Responsibility Bill. Any government wanting to make significant and permanent tax and spending changes will be forced to have an independent assessment by the Office for Budget of Responsibility.

Businesses will face tougher rules on transparency, with powers to investigate and sanction company directors for serious failures under a Draft Audit Reform and Corporate Governance Bill. The Bank of England will be handed more flexibility to respond to the failure of small banks under the Banking Resolution (Recapitalisation) Bill. Settling legal disputes will become more efficient through a new Arbitration Bill. The legislation will reform current laws to attract international legal businesses and empower courts to make orders in support of emergency situations.

... and what's missing from the King's Speech?

The notable absence from the King's Speech is any mention of the two-child benefit limit many Labour MPs are demanding is scrapped. Introduced by austerity Chancellor George Osborne in 2016 the policy restricts most low-income families to claiming Universal Credit and Child Tax Credits for their first two children.

During the election campaign the Labour leadership resisted calls to abolish the measure saying they would not make unfunded spending commitments. But some Labour backbenchers are now threatening to table an amendment to the King's Speech in an attempt to force the new Government into axing the policy. It will be the first major test of Mr Starmer's majority in the Commons if the amendment is selected by the Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle in the coming days.

The left-wing Labour MP Zara Sultana is also expected to table an amendment to the King's Speech demanding a ban on arms sales to Israel. She said the responsibility "now falls to Labour" after winning the election to "pull every lever and strain every sinew to pressure the Israeli government to abide by international law" and end the assault on Gaza.

Labour promised a package to tackle animal cruelty, which will also stop the import of hunting trophies from abroad. But there is no mention of ending the vile practice of trophy hunting. The Mirror has long campaigned for hunters to be prohibited from bringing their souvenirs home from shoots overseas.

Keir Starmer promised to lower the voting age to 16 to boost the engagement among young people. But he recently suggested 16-year-olds will not be given the vote immediately as he prioritises fixing the economy.

Labour has suggested it could impose an age limit in the House of Lords, forcing peers to retire at 80. The idea has not made it into the Government's immediate legislative priorities.