7 hours ago
20
While I welcome many measures in the king’s speech, an alternative might look something like this.
My lords, and members of the Commons: my government is committed to winning back the support of the British people and demonstrating that they are “on the side” of those who are working – or who have worked – hard to make ends meet.
My government will therefore bring forward legislation, as a matter of priority, to take powers to protect the British people from the impact of global conflict and the consequent increases in the cost of living; to reduce rising inflation and maintain living standards.
To this end, my government will appoint a secretary of state for consumer protection who will be given powers to intervene, where appropriate on a temporary basis, to freeze energy bills for 12 months from 1 July, and to introduce a windfall levy on excess profits from oil and gas arising out of the closure of the strait of Hormuz in order to meet the cost of this intervention.
Consequent on having already passed the Renters Rights Act, my government will take temporary power for the new secretary of state to retrospectively introduce rent controls for an initial 12-month period that will allow landlords to increase rents by no more than the rate of inflation based on the CPI rate in September 2025 and applying from 1 January 2026.
My government will return to the issue of welfare reform. A sensitive and humane approach will be adopted to modernising the current system in order to prevent individuals and families falling into poverty. The reformed system will provide them with independence and self-reliance, transforming the living standards and conditions of those in greatest need, thereby devoting resources that would otherwise go into ameliorating disadvantage.
The Milburn and Timms reviews would be implemented by my government in order to transform the lives of young men and women between the ages of 16 and 24 who are not in employment, education or training. It will devote the growth and skills levy on medium and large companies – together with the levy on employers bringing in overseas labour – to supplementing the £1bn already allocated to subsidising jobs and apprenticeships.
The drive to prepare the nation for the challenge of building the 1.5m dwellings committed to in the Labour government’s manifesto, and the infrastructure and rail programmes laid out in the government’s growth strategy last March, will be given absolute priority.
In addition, my government will bring forward the recommendations of Louise Casey’s report on the reorganisation and appropriate funding of social care. This will ensure that those experiencing the need for support in ageing will be able to receive it with dignity and with a fair balance between retaining lifetime savings or capital assets while contributing to their own care needs at home or in residential settings.
To make rapid and appropriate reform a reality, my government will reorganise the civil service, allowing for promotion and retention in the key areas of delivery in order to apply experience in implementing change.
My government recognises the need for stability in relation to fiscal and monetary policy, and will therefore continue to ensure that self-determined fiscal rules provide reassurance to international financial markets and facilitate government borrowing at acceptable rates of interest.
However, my government will consider whether to extend the period over which the fiscal rules apply to ensure that the impact of global turbulence does not cause harm to the British people. To this end, the government will join with Commonwealth countries, including Canada, looking at ways in which substantial borrowing at low interest rates can facilitate investment in defence and security, as well as the possibility of a “rearmament bond” that could enable the British people to invest in the safety and security of our nation.
My government recognises that safety and security in the home and neighbourhood is paramount to a stable and functioning society. Proposals in the police reform white paper, and the independent police leadership commission review, will ensure an effective, trusted and modernised service for the future.
My government also recognises that there are too many children who are still not receiving the educational opportunity available to the better off. Tough measures will be enacted to root out failure, while investing in further education to provide lifelong learning to equip the nation to deal with the implementation of artificial intelligence and robotics, and the changed world of work that this entails. Modern, balanced and non-party political teaching of citizenship and democracy will be instilled in all schools and post-16 colleges to protect the values that we hold dear as a nation.
Finally, we will accelerate and expand the Pride in Place programme linking what is taking place in renewing and regenerating local communities with the devolvement of key aspects of health and social care.
To this end, the abolition of NHS England and the deployment of resources will be concentrated on delivery, rather than on bureaucracy and commissioning. The Pride in Place budget will be doubled, so that the £20m allocated to each deprived neighbourhood across the country can be expanded with a partnership between government, local authorities and residents, whose voices should be clearly heard and engagement facilitated.
In this way, my government will make a fresh start in meeting the challenges of the future, winning the trust of the British people and protecting our democracy from those who would offer false promises or undermine confidence in the processes and constitutional safeguards that have stood our country in such good stead over so many decades.
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David (Lord) Blunkett was Labour home secretary from 2001 to 2004
