London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 29, 2025

What laws does UK PM Johnson want to pass after election win?

What laws does UK PM Johnson want to pass after election win?

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth set out Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s legislative agenda on Thursday, outlining Brexit and the National Health Service (NHS) as the government’s main priorities.

Johnson won the biggest majority in parliament of any government since 2001, meaning he is in a strong position to pass new laws. What does he intend to do?


BREXIT
The speech sets out a host of Brexit-related legislation. The main element is the EU (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill which will implement the exit deal Johnson agreed with Brussels. This bill is expected to start its passage into law on Friday and will rule out extending a transition period beyond Dec. 31, 2020.

Beyond this, the government will also pass Brexit-related laws on trade, agriculture and fisheries. Accompanying documents also say there will be further legislation required to implement whatever deal it strikes on future relations with the EU.


NHS


The government will pass a law to cement its commitment to increase funding to the health service. This will result in an annual increase of 33.9 billion pounds by 2023-24.


WORKERS’ RIGHTS


The government will pass an ‘Employment Bill’ which it says will “protect and enhance workers’ rights as the UK leaves the EU”.

The bill would set up a new enforcement body to protect rights, create new rights for workers to request predictable contracts, and provide for new childcare funding.

It also promises to look at stronger regulation for company auditing and corporate reporting.


IMMIGRATION


New immigration legislation will set out a points-based system. The government says this will be “based on people’s skills and contributions to the UK so we can attract the brightest and best people from the whole world.”

The details set out in accompanying documents are in line with Johnson’s election pledge of a three-tier system, designed to reduce lower-skilled migration.


SCOTLAND


The government rejected demands by Scotland’s First Minister for a new independence referendum after Brexit, saying it would be “a damaging distraction” and would undermine the result of the last vote five years ago.


COUNTER TERRORISM SENTENCING AND RELEASE BILL


The government will introduce tougher sentences, including a 14-year minimum for the most serious terrorist offenders. It will also remove the possibility of early release from custody for some dangerous offenders.


ESPIONAGE LEGISLATION


The government plans to make it harder for adversaries to operate in Britain to reduce the threat posed by “hostile state activity”. This will include changes to existing offences to more effectively deal with espionage and introducing new offences to criminalize other harmful activity conducted by, and on behalf of, states.

It is also considering adopting foreign agent registration and updating treason laws.


INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT


The government will publish a ‘National Infrastructure Strategy’ alongside its first budget next year to set out details of its plan to invest 100 billion pounds in infrastructure.


FINANCIAL SERVICES


The government reiterated plans, first set out in October, for legislation to bolster Britain’s role as an international financial center after Brexit by “enhancing” the sector’s competitiveness, but without eroding “world-leading regulatory standards”.

Specific aims would include making it simpler for foreign investment funds to be sold in Britain, a commitment to applying bank capital rules agreed globally to date, and ensuring that financial firms in Gibraltar have long-term access to Britain’s market.


FOREIGN TAKEOVERS


The government recommitted to plans set out in October to toughen its powers to block or intervene in the foreign purchase of any company in any sector that could affect national security.

Until now the British state has been able to intervene in the foreign takeover of any company above a certain size that played a role in national security, the provision of media plurality or the stability of the financial system.


REPEAL THE FIXED-TERM PARLIAMENTS ACT

The government will scrap the fixed-term parliament act which sets out that elections are held every five years and prevents the government from calling an early election without the support of two-thirds of parliament’s 650 lawmakers.


SECURITY, DEFENSE AND FOREIGN POLICY REVIEW


The government said it plans to undertake “the deepest review of Britain’s security, defense and foreign policy since the end of the Cold War”. It will include the Armed Forces, intelligence services and counter-terrorism.


FIRE SAFETY BILL


The government will strengthen enforcement powers to hold building managers and owners to account for fire safety standards. They will be required to consider and mitigate the risks of any external walls, including cladding, and fire doors.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
Explosive Email Shows Sarah Ferguson Begged Forgiveness from Jeffrey Epstein After Taking His Money
Corrupt UK Politician Ed Davey Demands Elon Musk’s Arrest for Supporting Democracy
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
Alibaba Debuts Open-Source Deep Research Agent with Benchmarks Rivaling OpenAI
Marcos Faces Legacy-Defining Crisis as Flood Projects Scandal Sparks Massive Tide of Protests
China’s Micro-Drama Boom Turns Stalled Real Estate Projects into Lavish Film Sets
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
'Company Got 5,189 H-1B Visas, Then Laid Off 16,000 Americans': US Defends New $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Golf legend tells Omar she should be 'sent back to Somalia' after her Kirk comments
EU Set to Bar Big Tech from New Financial Data Access Scheme
China Bans Livestreaming and AI in Religion Amid Crackdown on Shaolin Temple Scandal
×