The King's Speech - the change Scotland needs or a missed opportunity?

Sir Keir Starmer’s priorities for the months ahead were set out in 39 draft Bills, of which 24 apply in whole or in part to Scotland. Some details remain to be teased out.

Notably, the Great British Energy Bill will create GB Energy, a publicly-owned energy generation company that will own, manage and operate clean power projects across the country.

This will be based in Scotland, but no location has yet been finalised. Most believe Aberdeen would be its natural home, given its importance to the energy sector. In truth, it’s difficult to see it being headquartered anywhere else.

Briefing notes say GB Energy would be capitalised with £8.3 billion in new money in this session of Parliament. Meanwhile, there is also a commitment for a National Wealth Fund to invest in the green industries of the future.

Dr Liz Cameron, chief executive of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said there needed to be “greater clarity” around the transition away from oil and gas. This is a frustration felt by many, and pressure will only increase in the years to come.

Elsewhere, Labour’s Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said the King’s Speech delivered “the biggest transfer of power towards working people in a generation, with new rights on sick pay and redundancy, and better pay” through the Employment Rights Bill.

Mr Murray said: “It will ban exploitative zero-hour contracts and increase the minimum wage to a real living wage. A better deal for working people, with less insecurity and more money in their pockets, is the first step towards reducing poverty in Scotland and across the UK.”

Plans to phase out smoking and impose restrictions on the sale and marketing of vapes to children will also apply in Scotland. These were introduced by the last Conservative government, but were shelved after the election was called.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill progressively increases the age at which people can buy tobacco so that future generations will never legally be able to do so. It prevents anyone born after January 1, 2009 from legally smoking by gradually raising the age at which tobacco can be bought. It marks a huge moment in public health policy.

Meanwhile, Labour set out measures to improve relations north and south of the border. It pledged to “strengthen” its work with the devolved administrations and will set up a new Council of the Nations and Regions to bring different levels of government together.

Relations between Holyrood and Westminster have been strained in recent years, with SNP and Tory ministers frequently at loggerheads over issues such as independence and gender reform. Both governments have been talking up the prospect of a new era of improved co-operation, and the SNP certainly has more in common with Labour than it does with the Conservatives.

Last month, Rachel Reeves, the new Chancellor, told The Scotsman a Labour Government wanted to adopt a “partnership approach”. She said: “We’re only going to realise the potential of the whole UK economy if people in all parts of the UK, every nation and region, are given the opportunity to participate and play their part.” It remains to be seen whether rhetoric matches reality.

Kate Forbes, the deputy first minister, welcomed the change. “The Prime Minister has said he wants to reset the relationship with the Scottish Government, respect the devolution settlement and work constructively together,” she said. “I am pleased to see this approach reflected in the King’s Speech and we will support the opportunities it presents to improve the lives of people in Scotland.”

Meanwhile, there are plans to sweep away the remaining hereditary peers as the first step to reforming the House of Lords. But another manifesto commitment, a mandatory retirement age of 80 in the Lords, has not yet been put forward.

Measures to boost growth and ensure “economic stability” obviously have relevance across the UK.

And some of the legislative proposals that do not apply north of the Border could still have an impact here, such as the draft Conversion Practices Bill, which would bring forward a “full, trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices”.

A ban on conversion therapy, which aims to suppress or change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, was first promised in 2018, by former Conservative prime minister Theresa May. Similar proposals have been the focus of controversy in Scotland.

A Scottish Government consultation earlier this year led to concerns such a ban could criminalise parents. It seems likely SNP ministers will seek to align with plans down south.

The Scottish Government will set out its own priorities for the year ahead in the Programme for Government, due in September. This could include extra measures in areas such as child poverty – a key focus for First Minister John Swinney. The SNP has repeatedly criticised Labour for failing to commit to scrapping the two-child benefit cap.

So, does the King’s Speech deliver for Scotland? Labour can point to major policy interventions such as GB Energy, which it says will bring down prices for consumers, and which will be based north of the border, creating jobs and driving investment.

But Stephen Flynn, the SNP’s Westminster leader, called the speech a “missed opportunity”. He said it included no plans to eradicate child poverty, tackle the cost-of-living crisis or to boost NHS funding. He also accused Labour of simply tinkering around the edges when it comes to the House of Lords.

"The SNP will work with the Labour government, wherever possible, to deliver the best outcomes for Scotland – but where that change isn’t forthcoming we will hold them to account,” he said.

In other words, all that talk of co-operation only goes so far.