Queen’s Speech puts levelling up at the top of the agenda

The government has laid out its legislative priorities for the next year with a raft of new legislation. But while levelling up took top billing in the Queen’s Speech at the state opening of parliament, the detail will not be scrutinised until the debate on the programme later today.  In total, 38 bills will be included, including the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill. Prince Charles, who took on the role in the absence of the Queen, gave a reference to the government’s nebulous flagship policy in the second sentence of the speech. “Her majesty’s government will level up opportunity in all parts of the country and support more people in to work,” he said. The Queen’s Speech is, by tradition, a dry affair, stripped of rhetoric or political point-scoring that would be unseemly, or unconstitutional, in the mouth of the monarch. But unlike previous years, where flagship policies have been given a little more weight and detail, that was pretty much it for levelling up.   “A bill will be brought forward to drive local growth, empowering local leaders to regenerate their areas and ensuring everyone can share in the United Kingdom’s success,” he said. “The planning system will be reformed to give residents more involvement in local development”  Pledges to lower taxes, modernise transport and repeal regulatory red tape were also nodded to, along with promises to tackle the cost-of-living crisis and “bring forward an energy bill”.  It also promised to “improve the regulation of social housing” and support and strengthen the rights of tenants. Barely nine minutes later the speech was done, with Charles telling the Commons “other measures will be laid before you”. To send feedback, e-mail piers.wehner@eg.co.uk or tweet @PiersWehner or @EGPropertyNews Image © Alastair Grant/AP/Shutterstock