The new measures to cut the cost of living are due to be announced later this month after the government was criticized for skirting the issue in the Queen’s speech.
Tuesday’s announcement of the legislative agenda for next year contained no measures to tackle rising costs of living in the short term after Boris Johnson claimed more subsidies to households could hurt the economy in the long run.
Conservative MPs, opposition leaders and independent pundits called for more action, days after the Conservatives suffered a thrashing in local elections and cost-of-living fears were blamed for their poor performance.
The Prime Minister told the House of Commons: “We have the fiscal power to help families across the country with all the pressures now, and we will continue to use all our compassion and ingenuity for as long as it takes, and the Chancellor and I will talk more about this in the coming days.”
More in queen’s speech
But Rishi Sunak appeared to contradict Johnson’s claim: A Treasury source ruled out an emergency budget, saying there would be no more direct support before the fall.
“Rishi was always clear that we would set up support plans on power bills for the fall when we know what the price cap will be,” the source said. Number 10 also insisted that no imminent announcement was planned.
A senior Conservative MP said i it would be impossible to wait that long saying: “We will need more measures before October”.
Former Cabinet Minister David Davis called for immediate tax cuts, telling the House of Commons: “Today’s taxes are too high. We need to get some fundamentals right.”
The Chancellor, Prime Minister and other senior ministers met on Tuesday to discuss “non-fiscal measures” to tackle the cost of living, with the full Cabinet meeting in Staffordshire on Thursday in a bid to move the package forward.
i understands that Johnson plans to announce the first measures at the end of May. Whitehall ministers plan to cut regulations that they hope will reduce the price of public and private services, for example by relaxing restrictions on childcare and reducing the frequency of ITV tests.
The government argues that pumping extra money into the economy would only further stoke inflation: Johnson said that spending more on direct support “simply treats the symptoms of rising prices, while creating a bigger and bigger problem for tomorrow.”
But think tanks from across the political spectrum criticized the prime minister’s stance. Rebecca McDonald of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation said: “Despite claims in today’s speech that alleviating the cost of living was a priority for this government, no new support measures were announced. This will be deeply concerning for low-income families.”
Sam Robinson of an independent think tank for liberal conservatism told Bright Blue i: “With double-digit inflation forecast at the end of this year, the value of universal credit is increasing by only 3.1 percent. The measures announced so far and outlined in this Queen’s Speech do not come close to closing that gap.”
The Queen’s Speech, read by the Prince of Wales for the first time, contained 38 bills that are now due to become law over the next year. They include a series of measures to reduce regulations inherited from the EU, which the ministers say will help boost economic growth.
Key Legislation from the Queen’s Speech
Bill of Rights
Justice Secretary Dominic Raab has promised far-reaching reforms to prevent those convicted of serious crimes from escaping deportation and shorten their prison sentences on human rights grounds. He claims that a British Bill of Rights would limit the application of the “right to family life” in certain court cases, without undermining rights currently enjoyed by the general public. The bill will uphold freedom of expression and “restore some common sense to our justice system,” the government has said.
Brexit Freedoms Bill
This wide-ranging legislation will give ministers the power to repeal various EU laws that were included in the UK statute book, without seeking a specific House of Commons vote on them. Opponents have warned that it will increase the power of ministers at the expense of Parliament. It will also assert the sovereignty of the UK Parliament by removing the retained supremacy of EU law over UK law in the legal system, a move that will be celebrated by Brexiteers.
Draft Energy Security Law
This will launch the Government’s new energy strategy, to increase energy security by supporting a low-carbon energy system and reduce the country’s dependence on gas in the long term. It will extend the energy price cap beyond 2023 to ensure consumers are protected against unfair prices.
Higher Education Law Project
A controversial piece of legislation that will set a minimum qualification requirement for students in England to enable them to take out student loans to enter higher education. It will also aim to tackle the uncontrolled growth of “low-quality courses” by reintroducing a cap on the number of students. It will also provide a lifetime loan guarantee to boost retraining among adult learners.
Level Up and Regeneration Bill
The bill would turn the government’s flagship “leveling” plans into law. It will make it a legal duty for the Government to report on its progress in reducing inequality between different parts of the UK and give new powers to local leaders.
media bill
This will formally enact the privatization of Channel 4 and give Ofcom more power to regulate broadcast services. The platforms will have the duty to give additional prominence to the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5.
National Security Law Project
This long-delayed bill will reform the Official Secrets Act and create a new register of foreign agents, designed to make it easier for the Government to take action against suspected spies active in the UK. It will also restrict the ability of convicted terrorists to receive civil legal aid and ensure that terrorists cannot obtain civilian damages that could finance terrorism.
online security bill
The Online Safety Bill is the largest piece of legislation to be “carried over” from the last session because there was not enough time to complete its progress in Parliament after it was introduced. Its goal is to prevent online fraud, address illegal content such as child sexual exploitation, update laws to address threatening communications, criminalize cyber flashing, and prevent tech companies from arbitrarily removing content.
Procurement Law Project
This is intended to make recruitment processes more flexible and has been hailed by Brexiteers as a huge benefit of leaving the EU. The legislation will allow central and local government bodies to prioritize smaller and UK-based companies for public contracts.
Public Order Law Project
The legislation will aim to prevent highly disruptive tactics used by protest groups such as Insulate Britain and Extinction Rebellion. It will turn “lockdown”, when activists lock or beat each other or buildings, into a new crime. The bill will also outline a new offense for “interfering with key national infrastructure” such as airports, railways and printing presses, with a maximum sentence of 12 months.
conversion therapy bill
It will make it a criminal offense to conduct non-physical gay conversion therapy, while strengthening existing criminal law to ban violent conversion therapy. It will apply to those under 18 years of age, regardless of the circumstances, and over 18 years of age who are forced to engage in such practices. Work will continue on transgender conversion therapies.
Draft Law on Digital Markets, Competition and Consumption
The first bill of its kind, it will seek to protect consumers’ “hard-earned cash” from online scams and scams. This will be done by banning fake online reviews and giving the Competition and Markets Authority more powers to take “swift and decisive action” on behalf of consumers and to boost competition.
Victims Law Project
A future bill will improve the support provided to victims both inside and outside the criminal justice system, especially those who experience sexual violence and domestic abuse. It will also take due account of the support provided by the Crown Prosecution Service and Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service. Crucially, it will enshrine the Victims Code into law.
Draft Law on Economic Crimes and Business Transparency
Given further momentum after the Ukraine invasion, the government says the legislation will ensure that “Putin’s friends” do not benefit from the UK’s open economy. The bill will tackle economic crime, including fraud and money laundering, by providing greater protection for consumers and businesses. This will include identity verification for people who manage, own and control companies and other entities registered in the UK.
Ports Bill (Compensation of Seafarers)
Dubbed the P&O Act after the scandal that rocked the ferry service recently, the legislation will “ensure that all ferry crews are paid a fair wage” while working in UK waters or operating regularly both to and from UK ports. United. It will also deter other companies from trying to replicate P&O’s employment practices.
Non-National Qualification Bill
The legislation will streamline the commercial rate system through the use of more frequent reassessments based on more accurate data. The commercial rate revaluation cycle will be shortened from five to three years beginning in 2023. Businesses will be incentivized to invest in their properties to make them greener by offering rate relief.
Northern Ireland Troubles Bill (Legacy and Reconciliation)
A very controversial piece of legislation that the ministers have been forced to delay due to the opposition of their own deputies. It will seek to establish a new independent commission to allow individuals and their families to receive information about Troubles-related deaths. It will establish how veterans can gain immunity from prosecution, but crucially it will leave open the path to prosecution if people are deemed “not to have earned their immunity.”
Tenant Reform Bill
It promises to provide a “better deal” for the 4.4 million tenants in England and Wales. The bill will introduce a new ombudsman for private landlords so disputes can be better resolved. It will abolish so-called “no fault” evictions by removing Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988. It will apply the legally binding Decent Housing Standard in the Private Rental Sector for the first time.
Reference-inews.co.uk