Boris Johnson will bid to reset his premiership tomorrow when the Queen’s Speech is delivered.
The new Parliamentary session is expected to see legislation to tear up old EU laws, Level Up the Red Wall, crack down on truancy, punish owners of unused second homes, and give locals more power over housing developments.
Assuming the 96-year-old monarch is well enough, she is due to outline around 30 Bills. If she is unable to attend Prince Charles will stand in.
The government will then try to steward them through the Houses of Parliament over the course of the session – which has no fixed end point, although they tend to last around a year.
With a general election required to happen by the end of 2024, the success of this package of legislation is likely to be critical for the Tories’ chances of staying on in power.
Post-Brexit bonfire of laws
Boris Johnson is promising a ‘super seven’ of post-Brexit Bills can help with the soaring cost of living.
The package of legislation is designed to highlight the benefits of leaving the EU , from slashing red tape to bolstering protection for animals.
The Tories hope the new agenda will deliver a ‘Brexit dividend’ in time for the next general election.
The PM said yesterday: ‘I’m proud that my Government is capitalising on the immense opportunity that our new-found Brexit freedoms bring.
‘This relentless drive to deliver on the promise of Brexit is why we’re bringing seven Brexit Bills in the Queen’s Speech.
‘I call them the super seven – and they will benefit families and businesses across the land by changing old EU rules that don’t work for the UK.
‘From data reform to gene-editing to financial services, these Bills will allow us to thrive as a modern, dynamic and independent country,’ he told the Sunday Express.
Under-used holiday homes
A crackdown on under-used holiday home is set to be laid out in the Queen’s Speech tomorrow.
Local authorities are expected to be handed discretionary powers to double council tax on second homes unless they are either regularly used or let out by their owners for at least 70 days per year.
Vacant property has become a festering issue in prime beauty spots, with locals frustrated at soaring prices preventing permanent residents getting on the housing ladder.
A government source told the Telegraph that wealthy owners who leave homes unused will be expected to contribute to ‘crucial services in a way that can really benefit the whole community and boost levelling up’. One option would be to deploy the revenue to cut council tax.
Properties that are not even furnished will face a 100 per cent increase in council tax after 12 months, rather than the current two years.
Planning overhaul to give residents more rights
Local residents are expected to be given the right to be consulted on ‘design codes’ spelling out the standards that housing developments must meet.
Ministers will look at how the planning inspectorate handles targets on local housing requirements, with greenbelt and areas of natural beauty no longer forced to meet ‘unrealistic’ goals as long as they produce a plausible plan.
A fast-track application category could also be added to the planning system for small builders in an effort to ‘level the playing field’ with big developers.
The measures are contained in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, according to The Times.
Boosting education watchdogs and curbing truancy
Ministers will crack down on truancy, beef up the powers of education watchdogs and reform the funding system in new legislation to create ‘a school system that works for every child’.
Under the plans, which will form part of the Queen’s Speech on Tuesday, England’s schools will be required to publish an attendance policy and there will be compulsory registers for children who are not in classrooms so the authorities can identify who is not receiving a full-time education.
The measures will ensure pupils benefit from ‘every possible hour in the classroom’, Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said.
Mr Johnson said education was ‘at the very heart of this Government’s agenda’.
The Schools Bill will also include plans for schools to join multi-academy trusts (MATs), a proposal which has been resisted by education unions, with a strengthened regulatory framework giving greater powers to intervene when they are failing.
A new national funding formula is aimed at distributing cash on a ‘fair and consistent basis’, Ofsted will be given greater powers to crack down on illegally-operating ‘unregistered schools’ and the Teaching Regulation Agency’s ability to investigate misconduct will be strengthened.
As well as the measures on school attendance, in an attempt to make sure children do not slip through the cracks local authorities will be given a duty to provide support to home-schooling families.
Lifelong learning loans
A Higher Education Bill will enable the introduction of the promised lifelong loan entitlement, allowing people to retrain at any point.
Under the plan people can access a loan equivalent to four years of education, £37,000 in today’s fees, that they can use over their lifetime for a range of studies including shorter and technical course
Regenerating high streets
Under the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill measures to revive England’s high streets, councils will be given powers to take control of buildings for the benefit of their communities.
Compulsory rental auctions will ensure that landlords make shops that have been vacant for more than a year available to prospective tenants.
Authorities will also be given greater powers to use compulsory purchase orders to deliver housing, regeneration schemes and infrastructure.
Replace the Human Rights Act
The package will include plans to replace the Human Rights Act with a Bill of Rights, making it easier to deport foreign criminals.
Hunting trophy trade ban
The Animals Abroad Bill is due to include a ban on the trade in hunting trophies and the sale and promotion of travel experiences which are cruel to animals.
Channel 4 privatisation
A Broadcasting Bill is likely to be included in the agenda to push through the privatisation of Channel 4.