In a turbulent week for the prime minister, King’s Speech sets out legislative programme with plans for closer ties to EU in a major re-set, late payment clampdown, less costly and onerous levels of red tape from regulators to drive innovation, and digital ID cards are back
King Charles delivered the King’s Speech to the Houses of Lords and MPs, in a brief address running for less than 15 minutes but full of regalia, with 35 Bills scheduled for debate and ideally Royal Assent over the next 12 months.
A number of items had already been well trailed including the crackdown on late payments with reporting duties on boards and audit committees for failure to comply, regulatory reform to drive growth, immigation and asylum, elecricty and gas price decoupling affecting tax reporting for generators, and among others, plans for a new tourist tax, enabled through devolving tax raising powers to mayoralties in England to roll out localised systems. Starkly absent was any reference to reform of benefits, not included in the detailed briefing notes on the King’s Speech, and of course, audit reform has long been abandoned.
