Chris Mason
Political editor

Image source, Reuters

Election promises - or at least some of them - clad in fancy dress and to a soundtrack of trumpets.

An election victory for Labour made real as the King reads out their plans for government.

This is a hefty set of legislative plans - ministers keen to capitalise on the momentum of their recent win by cracking on and being seen to crack on.

Governing isn’t only about passing new laws; ideas for new laws can get bogged down, side-tracked, amended.

And stuff happens, stuff always happens that seizes the agenda.

But this is a government with a majority as hefty as these legislative plans, so it’s a fair bet plenty of them will reach the statute book, will become law.

I’ll be watching next for the order in which these bills begin their legislative journey - that’ll be a further indication of the new government’s priorities.

And – taking a step back – the key thing here is what ministers see as their driving mission: economic growth. Can they actually help deliver it and if so how quickly? That is the test they have set themselves and against which they will be judged.

It was a day of pomp and policy in Westminster for the State Opening of Parliament - we've wrapped up all the highlights in a series of short clips below:

The King's Speech kicked off with the monarch saying his government's legislative programme would be "mission-led".

The speech outlined 39 bills that minsters want to pass in the next parliamentary session - you can find more detail on this here.

Next came a debate on the government's plans in the House of Commons.

Leader of the opposition Rishi Sunak used his speech here to urge PM Keir Starmer to spend 2.5% of national income on defence by 2030 – a Conservative campaign promise.

Later, Starmer said his plan for government would "take the brakes off Britain" and put the country on the "path of national renewal".

The new prime minister also said there would be "no quick fix" and warned against the "snake oil charm of populism".

We're ending our live coverage shortly. To play us out will be closing analysis from our political editor Chris Mason.

This page was edited by Owen Amos, Marita Moloney, Nadia Ragozhina, Francesca Gillett, Nathan Williams and Emily Atkinson. The writers were Kathryn Armstrong, Thomas Mackintosh, Suneil Asar, Alex Smith, Ben Hatton, Emily McGarvey, Jessica Rawnsley and Emma Rossiter.

Sima Kotecha
Senior UK correspondent

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has previously made clear that violence against women and girls will be at the top of her agenda.

In its announcements today, the government has reiterated this, saying it wants to ensure the police have the capability to respond robustly to domestic abuse, rape and other sexual offences.

How it’s going to do this is unclear from the speech alone, but in the Labour manifesto, the party said it would introduce new specialist domestic abuse workers in 999 control rooms and put specialist rape investigation units in every force across England and Wales so that early opportunities for prevention and protection are not missed.

This would entail more trained police officers and extra resources at a time when policing is facing numerous challenges including retention and morale issues.

Cooper has spoken about having a central procurement body to streamline purchasing in all 43 police forces to save more than £300m, conveying the need to make savings to help fund the new government’s plans.

Tom Gerken
Technology reporter

The Digital Information and Smart Data Bill will be introduced in Parliament - despite going unmentioned in the King’s Speech.

It aims to “improve people’s lives and life chances” and “enable more and better digital services”, according to background briefing notes on the bill, now published online, external.

As well as digital ID cards, the government says the will enable more digital public services, for example allow people to register births and deaths in a new electronic system.

Coroners will also be able to access certain digital information, if necessary, when investigating a child’s death.

And the bill will create a National Underground Asset Register, so the UK’s underground network of pipes and cables can be mapped digitally. It hopes this will give planners and excavators speedier and more secure access to data needed to carry out works.

Aslef, the train drivers’ union, says its general secretary Mick Whelan and other union negotiators will meet the Department for Transport (DfT) next Tuesday to try to resolve its long-running pay dispute.

Whelan describes it as an "initial meeting", saying that with a new government they hope for "constructive talks".

"With a new secretary of state for transport in place, I hope, and think, we can, and will, get a deal done," he says.

Before the election, there had been a sign of progress when the Rail Delivery Group – the train companies' body – invited Aslef to fresh discussions. That followed more than a year talks being at a standstill. No strikes are currently scheduled.

Figen Murray - whose son Martyn Hett was one of 22 people killed in the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017 - says she is "delighted" that Martyn's Law was included in the King's Speech.

Her campaign, which began almost six years ago, seeks to make it a law for all venues – be they big arenas, theatres, cinemas or universities – to have security in place and train staff in knowing what to do in an attack.

Bringing such legislation will "make venues more secure", she says, and will "definitely save lives".

"The world has become a really unsafe place," she says, pointing to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza and the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, adding that "Martyn's Law is more important than ever".

Image source, House of Commons

If you're just joining us, MPs have been debating the government's new plans in the House of Commons after Parliament officially began its new session. Here's a reminder of the key lines:

• PM Keir Starmer announced a new child poverty taskforce as part of the government's strategy to tackle a rise in child poverty rates
• However, the SNP challenged Starmer on lifting the two-child benefit - a policy which means most families can't claim means-tested benefits for a third child, with some exemptions
• Conservative leader Rishi Sunak said his party would not oppose the government "for the sake of it" but would hold it to account on its election promises

• Earlier, the King's Speech unveiled the government's promise to deliver higher economic growth "in every community", and a push to change the planning system to make it easier to build housing and infrastructure
• In the speech, 39 bills were set out which include proposals to give local leaders more powers and bring the railways into public ownership

Rayner chairs first cabinet committee on workers' rightspublished at 18:17 British Summer Time 17 July

18:17 BST 17 July

Harry Farley
Political correspondent

Image source, PA Media

Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister, is currently chairing the first cabinet committee on the government’s workers' rights package.

Labour's New Deal for Working People was championed by Rayner in opposition. But some business groups reportedly expressed concern at some of the proposals, while trade unions were worried the initial reforms had been watered down after lobbying from businesses.

The Employment Rights Bill, announced in the King’s Speech, will put the planned changes into law. It is being led by the business department under the Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds.

But Rayner will chair the Future of Work cabinet committee which includes Treasury, Cabinet Office, Department for Work and Pensions and Business ministers. That means she has a role overseeing the package of reforms and is in a position to resist any attempts to weaken the changes.

If you need help breaking down the policy announcements made in today's King's Speech, then our friends at the BBC's 5 Questions On podcast have you covered.

In their latest episode, correspondent Jenny Hill looks at what laws were announced, and a few proposals that didn’t appear to make the cut.

You can listen to that on BBC Sounds now.

Jordan Kenny
Politics reporter, BBC Newsbeat

We first spoke to Hayden during BBC Newsbeat’s Race Across the UK during the election campaign, in Newquay. At the time, he told us he wanted the new government to "tackle the sewage problem".

The government today said it plans to bring in measures which will strengthen regulation of the water industry - for more details on this, check out our previous post.

Reacting to the news, Hayden, 23, tells us he now wants to see "decisive" action so it’s "actually addressed properly".

"I’ve had so friends who’ve become ill in the water around Cornwall and Devon," he says.

Hayden, who runs a surf school, says clean water "is important for all of us".

"It's a big part of our lives down here. And I want it addressed properly and swiftly."

Malcolm Prior
Environment correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

A swell of public anger over the state of rivers, lakes and seas has seen the government announce measures to tackle polluting water companies.

It says the Water (Special Measures) Bill announced in the King's Speech will ensure water company bosses face personal criminal liability for breaking laws on water quality.

The bill also gives new powers for the regulator Ofwat to ban the payment of bonuses if environmental standards are not met.

Water companies will also be required by law to install real-time monitors at every sewage outlet - although the last government had already announced last year that all of England's storm overflows are now electronically monitored.

Whether such monitoring helps prevent sewage pollution itself remains to be seen - last month a BBC investigation found every major English water company had reported data that showed they were discharging raw sewage from storm overflows even when the weather was dry.

Iain Watson
Political correspondent

Back to the Commons briefly now, where the debate on the King's Speech is ongoing.

We have heard from Priti Patel and Robert Jenrick this afternoon – two politicians who may be contemplating a bid for the Conservative leadership.

We should get the timetable for that contests tomorrow.

Part of Robert Jenrick’s speech does sound like a pitch - focusing on where he thinks the Conservative government got this wrong,

From failing to deliver on securing the borders to lowering taxation.

But he also suggested that the new Labour government won’t rise to many global challenges, including migration, and warns against the rise of the far right.

Tom Gerken
Technology reporter

Image source, Getty Images

One of the bills which went unmentioned is the Product Safety and Metrology Bill, which will include a section on the fire risk associated with e-bikes and their batteries.

According to the London Fire Brigade, e-bikes and e-scooters are the fastest growing fire risk, with a 78% increase in e-bike fires in 2023 compared to 2022 in the capital. Three people died in the fires and about 60 people were hurt.

It is potentially a massive win for campaigners, who have been calling for regulation for years.

“We are thrilled to hear of plans by the government to finally address the prevalent risk of e-bike battery fires,” says Wayne Mackay from charity Electrical Safety First.

“This bill has the opportunity to ensure those who have already lost their lives to these devastating fires did not do so in vain."

Kevin Peachey
Cost of living correspondent

Let’s be honest, pension policy will never be a blockbuster, crowd pleasing subject for any new government.

But plans in the Pension Schemes Bill are interesting for their detail. They hint at the government’s tactics and highlight what’s missing.

Ministers want millions of people’s workplace and private pension savings to be invested in UK plc to boost economic growth.

It also aims to continue the work of the previous government in allowing people to bring their small pension savings pots – or lost pots - together into one. Some may question whether simplification risks leaving savers worse off.

And there’s a warning to the worst performing pension schemes to improve.

But there’s no mention of increasing the level, or lowering the starting age, of automatic pension saving among workers.

Alison Holt
Social affairs editor

Image source, Getty Images

There was nothing explicit in the King’s Speech about the pressing matter of reforming the care system that supports older and disabled people in England.

There will be real frustration, but probably not surprise, from those who need care services or work in the sector.

Labour’s election manifesto had kept expectations low.

However, the speech did promise to introduce a fair pay agreement for care workers. It would be part of an Employment Rights Bill which would ban exploitative zero-hours contracts and strengthen sick pay rights.

The government also points to the increase in people being recruited from abroad to fill staff shortages in health and social care.

It says the Skills England Bill will create a formal link between migration data and skills policy to ensure that there is enough training in England to meet most of the needs of the labour market.

Leila Nathoo
Political correspondent

Downing Street says at least six of the bills outlined in the King's Speech today will be introduced in Parliament this week.

The prime minister's official spokesperson says a number of others will be brought forward before Parliament rises for recess at the end of the month.

They add that the bills set out today in today's speech represent an "initial legislative programme".

It "by no means the limits of our ambitions", they say, and "doesn't preclude further reforms".

Hazel Shearing
Education correspondent

Image source, PA Media

Labour has said again and again that its education plans are all about breaking down barriers to opportunity – and two measures in the Children’s Wellbeing Bill will stand out for any parent grappling with the cost of living.

There’s the pledge to introduce free breakfast clubs in all primary schools in England.

The government says this will help children reach their potential in school – but it’s also aimed at getting them there in the first place.

Then there’s a proposed cap on the number of branded items schools can have as part of uniform policies.

They’re already required to keep these more pricey items to a minimum, but there are still concerns about high costs.

Head teachers' unions say most schools recognise the pressure that parents are under to pay for uniforms.

The statements they sent out this morning suggest they’re more concerned with the breakfast club roll-out and, crucially, the funding.

We've been hearing from child poverty injustice campaigners, who say lifting the two-child benefit cap is "terribly important" to lift families out of poverty.

Sophie Howes, from Child Poverty Action group, says if it was scrapped, 300,000 children would be lifted out of poverty overnight.

Another 700,000 children would be living in less deep poverty, she adds, making an "immediate difference" to the lives of over one million children.

Ed Davies, from the Centre for Social Justice, highlights five long term things needed to tackle child poverty: more on employment, education, family stability, debt and addiction.

For context: The two-child cap prevents parents from claiming universal credit or child tax credit for a third child, with a few exemptions.

Michael Buchanan
Social affairs correspondent

Shortly before the King's Speech, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall held a meeting to "start work immediately on a new, ambitious child poverty strategy".

The elephant in the room for many at the gathering however was the government’s refusal to lift the two child limit.

As expected, there was no mention of the policy in the King’s Speech, and afterwards many charities responded with disappointment.

"Scrapping the two-child limit on benefits has to happen in the government’s first Budget,” said the Child Poverty Action Group. The policy, they said, “is driving up child poverty more than any other policy".

Many Labour MPs want the policy scrapped, but a cabinet minister told the BBC earlier it was “open to debate” whether it was causing harm.

Anti-poverty campaigners also bemoaned the government’s failure to announce any measures to reform the social security system, which they argue is currently inadequate. Low income families, said the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, “don’t have the luxury to wait for the economy to grow".

Emily Atkinson
Live page editor

With the key speeches wrapped up, we're turning away from the debate now to take a closer look at the government's plans for the year ahead.

To get the ball rolling, we're handing back to our correspondents, who have been continuing to dig into the detail of the King's Speech.

If you missed some of their earlier analysis on the key announcements, you can scroll back through our earlier posts.