Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Starmer's government plans 35 bills for parliament opening

Legislation will include a bill to enforce new spending rules and strengthen the role of the independent Office of Budget Responsibility.

Starmer's government plans 35 bills for parliament opening

The new government is preparing over 35 bills for the formal start of the parliamentary year on Wednesday and has placed economic growth at the centre of its agenda, Keir Starmer's office said.

Starmer, who ended 14 years of Conservative rule earlier this month with a decisive election win for his Labour Party, stated that his government's goals are to deliver stability, boost growth, and create wealth across the country.


Legislation will include a bill to enforce new spending rules and strengthen the role of the independent Office of Budget Responsibility, ensuring that significant fiscal announcements will be properly scrutinised, the statement from his office said.

"Our work is urgent. There is no time to waste," said Starmer, who has returned to Britain after attending the NATO summit last week in his first major international meeting as the country's leader.

"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 downpayment on that change."

Within days of taking office as the country’s first female finance minister after the election, Rachel Reeves set out plans to increase house building, unblock infrastructure projects, and attract private investment.

Through a new National Wealth Fund, the government aims to attract private capital into emerging and growing industries to support growth and meet net-zero commitments.

The State Opening of Parliament is the only regular occasion when the three constituent parts of Parliament – the Sovereign, the House of Lords, and the elected House of Commons – meet.

The pomp and ceremony tend to attract large crowds and a significant TV audience.

(With inputs from Reuters)

More For You

Healthcare workers hold placards as they demonstrate on Westminster Bridge, near to St Thomas' Hospital in London on May 1, 2023. (Photo: Getty Images)
Healthcare workers hold placards as they demonstrate on Westminster Bridge, near to St Thomas' Hospital in London on May 1, 2023. (Photo: Getty Images)

Teachers, nurses warn of strikes over 2.8 per cent pay rise proposal

TEACHERS and nurses may strike after the government recommended a 2.8 per cent pay rise for public sector workers for the next financial year.

Ministers cautioned that higher pay awards would require cuts in Whitehall budgets.

Keep ReadingShow less
A man walks past a mural that says ‘Northern Ireland’, on Sandy Row in Belfast, Northern Ireland, August 11, 2024. (Photo: Reuters)
A man walks past a mural that says ‘Northern Ireland’, on Sandy Row in Belfast, Northern Ireland, August 11, 2024. (Photo: Reuters)

Northern Ireland approves extension of post-Brexit trade rules

NORTHERN Ireland’s devolved government has voted to continue implementing post-Brexit trading arrangements under the Windsor Framework, a deal signed between London and the European Union in February 2023.

The vote in the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont extended the arrangement for four years.

Keep ReadingShow less
'Covid bereavement rates in Scotland highest among Asians'
Ethnic groups were found to be two-and-a-half times more likely to have experienced the loss of a close family member.

'Covid bereavement rates in Scotland highest among Asians'

THE bereavement rates due to Covid in Scotland have been highest among those identifying with ‘Any other’ ethnic group (68 per cent), followed by Indians (44 per cent) and Pakistanis (38 per cent), a new study revealed. This is significantly higher than the national average of around 25 per cent.

Ethnic groups were found to be two-and-a-half times more likely to have experienced the loss of a close family member during the Covid crisis.

Keep ReadingShow less
Harmeet Dhillon gives a benediction at the end of the first day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,  on July 15, 2024. (Photo: Getty Images)
Harmeet Dhillon gives a benediction at the end of the first day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 15, 2024. (Photo: Getty Images)

Trump nominates Harmeet Dhillon for top Department of Justice role

US PRESIDENT-ELECT Donald Trump has nominated Indian-American attorney Harmeet K Dhillon as assistant attorney general for civil rights at the Department of Justice.

“I am pleased to nominate Harmeet K Dhillon as assistant attorney general for civil rights at the US Department of Justice,” Trump announced on Monday on Truth Social, his social media platform.

Keep ReadingShow less
Brella's body was discovered in the boot of a car in Ilford, east London, on 14 November. (Photo: Northamptonshire Police)
Brella's body was discovered in the boot of a car in Ilford, east London, on 14 November. (Photo: Northamptonshire Police)

Harshita Brella case: Marriage, abuse, and a tragic end

HARSHITA BRELLA, a 24-year-old woman living in Corby, Northamptonshire, was found dead in the boot of a car on 14 November.

Her husband, Pankaj Lamba, is suspected of killing her and is believed to have fled to India.

Keep ReadingShow less