THERE were few surprises in the King’s Speech – the 40 measures announced are very much an attempt by the new Labour government to implement the manifesto which won it a landslide only a few weeks ago.
From removing the VAT exemption from private school fees to setting up breakfast clubs in state schools, from creating GB Energy to promote renewable sources to explaining how the railways will be taken back into public control following the mess of piecemeal privatisation, this was what the public expected.
One of the few unexpected measures was the reintroduction of Rishi Sunak’s attempt to phase out smoking, a measure criticised by right-wing Tories for being too interventionist. It is, though, welcome as a concept even if it still looks rather impractical.
There are similar concerns about the flagship measure to simplify the planning system in a bid to get Britain building and the economy expanding. Everyone wants to see economic growth; most people accept that more houses are needed – but very few people want them forced into their back yards without them having a say. We shall see how Labour gets round that impracticality.
There are some important philosophical points in the King’s Speech, like the move to giving metro mayors greater powers to make a difference in their areas.
And right down to the smaller measures – a move against dirt bikes which blight many communities, the creation of an armed forces commissioner, and a limit on the number of branded sportswear items a school can force its pupils to have – the King’s Speech was in tune with the times. Making water bosses criminally liable for polluting rivers taps right in to public anger.
This was the longest speech for years but, necessarily, it was short on specifics. The most important, and the most difficult, aspect is actually delivering, so that railways work, rivers are cleaner, child poverty is reduced and the economy is growing. Time will tell if Labour can make it work but, by and large, this was a welcome beginning.
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