Starmer warns ‘no time to waste’ as he tries to pack 35 bills into King’s Speech

PM would not be drawn into saying whether his plans to extend the voting franchise to 16- and 17-year-olds will be included

The PM says the measures are a ‘down payment’ on the change he is seeking to deliver (PA Wire)

Sir Keir Starmer has described Labour’s work as “urgent” as he tries to pack 35 new bills into the King’s Speech next week.

The new laws will hand greater powers to local leaders and to economic watchdog the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), with growth a key part of the prime minister’s agenda, the government has said.

The prime minister described the measures, to be announced on Wednesday, as the “down payment” on the change his government is seeking to deliver.

The strengthening of the OBR, which was outlined in Labour’s manifesto, is designed to ensure that “nobody can play fast and loose with the public finances ever again”, Downing Street said.

Ahead of the speech, which will be delivered by the King as part of the state opening of parliament, Sir Keir said: “Our work is urgent. There is no time to waste.

“We are hitting the ground running by bringing forward the laws we will need to rebuild our country for the long term – and our ambitious, fully costed agenda is the down payment on that change.

“From energy, to planning, to unbreakable fiscal rules, my government is serious about delivering the stability that is going to turbo-charge growth that will create wealth in every corner of the UK.

“The task of national renewal will not be easy, and this is just the down payment on our plans for the next five years, but the legislation set out at the King’s Speech will build on the momentum of our first days in office and make a difference to the lives of working people.”

The prime minister signalled that Whitehall’s grip over big cities and regions would be loosened, as he used his first week in office to meet metro mayors and representatives from the devolved nations.

Meanwhile, legislation to enact policies such as Labour’s national wealth fund and a new “mission control” tasked with switching the UK to clean power by 2030 will also feature in the package.

Sir Keir has said such decisions are key to boosting growth, which he has made the central pillar of the changes he wants his new administration to deliver.

Measures to boost housebuilding and infrastructure, improve transport and create more jobs will also be included, No 10 said.

The Sunday Times has reported that the speech will include a law to create a national register of children going absent from school.

A duty on councils to keep the register is aimed at preventing these children from becoming a “lost generation” of pupils following the pandemic, the newspaper says.

Sir Keir would not be drawn into saying whether his plans to extend the voting franchise to 16- and 17-year-olds would be included in the speech, only telling reporters that “everything will be focused” on economic growth.

Starmer meets Joe Biden at the White House during a whirlwind first few days as prime minister (PA Wire)

It came after Sir Keir defended Joe Biden earlier this week as Nato leaders gathered in Washington to discuss the challenges facing the bloc, saying the US president had been “across all the detail”.

Speaking before Mr Biden’s latest slips, in which the US president introduced Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin” before later calling Kamala Harris “Vice-President Trump”, Sir Keir had told a US broadcaster that their one-to-one discussions had happened “at pace” and that Mr Biden had seemed “on really good form”.

“We were billed for 45 minutes – we went on for the best part of an hour,” Sir Keir said. “He was absolutely across all the detail. We were going at pace through a number of issues.” Asked whether the president was “senile”, Sir Keir told the BBC: “No... he’s shown incredible leadership.”