What the September legislative timetable for the UK Parliament tells us

The King’s Speech is a shop window for a new Government's legislative programme. But that programme can only be a statement of intent until the Bills complete their Parliamentary passage and gain Royal Assent, and are then implemented by the Government. Along the way there are many pitfalls, such as delays in introducing legislation due to internal Government wrangling, potential rebellions in the House of Commons by unhappy Labour MPs, amendments in the House of Lords, newer more urgent legislation responding to as yet unknown events which may leapfrog legislation while it is passing through Parliament and a host of other events which can derail legislation.

It is in any new Government’s interests to get its key pieces of legislation through as quickly as possible to avoid those risks and show that it means business - and that the Government is aware of this can be seen from the way it is forcing the pace on a handful of high profile and noticeably short Bills. There are only two weeks of Parliament sitting before the party conference break. Of the three Bills introduced very quickly before the summer in the Commons (which were not either re-introductions or technical Bills), all have key Parliamentary stages this week, and two will have all remaining Commons stages taken together, a technique used to push legislation speedily through the Commons. Both the Budget Responsibility Bill and the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill are effectively single issue Bills which fulfil manifesto commitments and are needed to deliver in two areas where the new Government has sought to draw clear dividing lines with the previous Government. Hastening them through the Commons shows that the Government is confident that the public understand what these two Bills do and there is a mandate for them. We do not yet know if the Great British Energy Bill, which is having its Second Reading this week, will also be progressed in the same way. It is a very important Bill, underpinning one of the “missions”, so was put before Parliament early, but there may be a need to make more of the case for the new body.

Getting these three Bills through to the Lords stages before conference recess would be a strong step towards getting these Bills implemented and shows the Government’s confidence in the policies which underlie the Bills. Other bills will need to follow quickly in October but most will inevitably need more time and work before being introduced. Those watching for clues as to the Government’s position may find it helpful to note which Bills do not get introduced soon - silence on the part of the Government indicates that the pitfalls mentioned above may be slowing things down. Businesses and organisations who want to influence policy or the shape of the legislation should use this time to move quickly to make their voices heard.