Whilst somewhat overshadowed by continued speculation over the future of the Prime Minister, the King’s Speech on the 13th May set out a wide range of legislation that the Government proposes to introduce. Almost 40 Bills were listed ranging from nuclear power to the regulation of taxis.
In terms of farming those of note include;
EU Partnership Bill: this would give the Government legal powers to adopt ‘dynamic alignment’ under the proposed Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement on food trade. It would limit Parliamentary scrutiny of domestic legal changes resulting from EU amendments. As well as the SPS agreement the Bill would also facilitate closer EU alignment on emissions trading and electricity. The Government briefing on the Kings Speech claims that ‘combined, the food and drink deal and emissions trading agreement could deliver up to £9 billion to the UK economy a year’.