The King’s Speech is a great opportunity to support rural communities

Next week on November 7, the King will make his way to Westminster to deliver the King’s Speech. The State Opening of Parliament this year has a particular significance not simply because it will be the first time the King will have delivered the speech as monarch, but because it marks the beginning of the final session of Parliament before the General Election. It is the Government’s moment to set out its priorities and to re-set its agenda. Whether the election comes in the Autumn of next year or, as some are suggesting, earlier, the Government is running out of time and is badly behind in the polls. While the King’s Speech will contain the Government’s headline legislative programme, it is not exhaustive and there will be other measures that are brought forward over the coming months. 

The King’s Speech is expected to contain about twenty legislative measures, which stand a good chance of becoming law, assuming an Autumn election. There are five Bills that are already in progress and have been “carried over” to the next session. These include the Digital Markets Bill, which we hope will go some way to tackling fake reviews online, although the Government could, and should, do more on this issue, which blights so many rural businesses targeted by ideologically motivated extremists. There will be a finance bill and we expect a number of private member’s bills (PMBs) giving effect to government policy. Among these, we hope to see bills which will finally implement the various provisions of the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill, which the Alliance fully supported. Sadly, these good measures, including changes to address livestock worrying, have been delayed because of a few MPs who claim to care about animal welfare but are really more interested in playing politics.  Some of the new measures expected will also cover the usual areas of crime and justice ensuring those convicted of rape serve their full sentences, transport in relation to driverless cars, housing and leasehold reform, energy and infrastructure especially the oil and gas sector and possible pensions reform. The impression from current speculation is that the Government are keen to draw clear lines between it and Labour. 

For rural Britain, this last session of Parliament is an opportunity for the Conservative Government to deliver some key changes that the countryside needs. Recent years have left many in rural areas feeling at best ignored and at worst under attack from a Government that says it understands the countryside and its communities. There does appear to be a belated realisation among politicians of all parties that they need to start appealing to rural voters. With an election on the horizon it seems that for any party hoping to win the keys to Number 10 rural seats matter. It is no coincidence that the recent changes to the net-zero timetable were in large part a recognition that the consequences of these policies for rural areas had not been properly considered and understood. Everyone is in favour of net-zero and policies to address climate change and biodiversity loss but these must be approached in a way which recognises that rural people are faced with particular challenges, and also that they are key to environmental solutions and not a part of the problem. Too often, and despite endless lip service being paid to the need for ‘rural proofing’, government fails to consider the countryside when making policy. 

The Alliance is calling for the Government to show leadership, and a vision for the future of rural communities and the support they need.  The Alliance would like to see measures to: 

• Deliver an EV charging network that meets the needs of those in rural areas.
• Guarantee that public bodies buy British food to support our farmers.
• Legislate to tackle littering associated with Drive-Thrus.
• Require solar panels to be installed when granting planning permission for new industrial/warehousing sites and encourage solar panels to be retrofitted on brownfield industrial sites.
• Ensure wildlife laws work for wildlife and land managers. 

None of these are likely to be announced in the Speech itself, but there is time for the Government to put in place much-needed reforms before polling day.

One final consideration is the Autumn Statement on 22 November and a much-anticipated reshuffle later in the year or early next. To be blunt, the public finances and the outlook for the economy do not leave the Chancellor much room for manoeuvre. It is not impossible that the country will be in a technical recession by the end of the year and the Chancellor will be looking to when he can start talking about tax cuts. As we all know the economy will be central to the election but whether Hunt will still be Chancellor is uncertain. The future of the Home Secretary is also an open question, especially in the light of the pending Supreme Court judgement on the Rwanda scheme and how the European Court of Human Rights and UK Government respond. 

This King’s Speech may not be the most radical ever but it is a last chance saloon for a Government about to face the electorate.