These were among 37 Bills and draft Bills announced by King Charles at the State opening of Parliament this week—on the morning after prime minister Keir Starmer fought off immediate threats to his leadership.
The legislative agenda includes the controversial Courts Modernisation Bill to reduce jury trials to cases where the accused faces at least three years in prison if convicted.
Other Bills aim to improve the armed forces justice system, and criminalise the sharing of material that ‘glorifies, trivialises or normalises’ serious violence.
The assisted dying Bill, which ran out of time in the House of Lords, was missing from the speech. As was anti-SLAPP (strategic lawsuits against public participation) legislation. Nik Williams, co-chair of the UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition, highlighted ‘previous commitments by government officials to the contrary’.
Commenting on the inclusion of the Enhancing Financial Services Bill, Catherine Weeks, head of financial regulation at Simmons & Simmons, said: 'The emphasis on proportionality, competitiveness and regulatory efficiency reflects legitimate concerns the industry has raised consistently.'
However, with regards to the EU dimension, she added: 'Care will be needed to ensure that the pursuit of closer ties does not come at the expense of the competitive advantages the City has built since Brexit.'
