Boris Johnson set to unveil reform of planning and state aid

Boris Johnson has approved a new legislative programme of more than 25 bills that will implement planning reform and a new state-aid regime, as he seeks to flesh out his post-pandemic economic recovery plan.

The UK prime minister wants the programme, to be outlined in the Queen’s Speech on May 11, to deliver the meat of the Conservative party’s 2019 election manifesto and signal the start of a return to “normality” after Covid-19, according to people briefed on the plans.

The Queen is expected to confirm in her speech — to be delivered by the monarch in person in a Covid-secure ceremony at Westminster — Johnson’s ambition to reform the cash-starved social care sector.

But there is still no sign of details of the prime minister’s “clear plan” to tackle the issue that has dogged successive governments. “I’d be surprised if the Queen’s Speech contains anything concrete,” said one person briefed on the legislative programme.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak, whose March Budget included plans to raise Britain’s tax burden to the highest level since the 1960s to help pay for the coronavirus crisis, is reluctant to commit to yet more public spending when he is still trying to control government borrowing.

Jacob Rees-Mogg, leader of the House of Commons, wants the package of 25 to 30 bills in the Queen’s Speech to deliver key sections of the Tory manifesto, said people familiar with the plans.

Among the measures will be legislation intended to boost economic growth and narrow regional inequalities — Johnson’s “levelling up” agenda — including a planning bill to clear obstacles to housebuilding and broader development.

Under the bill, all councils in England will have to designate land either for development or preservation, as the government aims to hit a national target of building more than 300,000 homes a year.

A post-Brexit state-aid regime is meant to enable the government to be more “nimble” in supporting jobs.

The business department has just completed a public consultation seeking views on how the arrangements can allow the government to make strategic interventions in industry.

There will also be bills to create a series of freeports: low-tax zones featuring simplified planning rules that ministers have said will serve as hubs for high-value manufacturing and innovation. Sceptics have cited research suggesting they tend to shift jobs and investment around the country, rather than generate new business.

Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng will, meanwhile, sponsor a bill to establish a “high risk, high reward” scientific research agency that was the brainchild of Dominic Cummings, Johnson’s former chief adviser.

A procurement bill will give small and medium-sized companies greater opportunities to secure government contracts, and allow the public sector to buy British when the deals are not subject to international trade rules.

A health and care bill will carry out NHS reforms to strengthen the health service after the pandemic.

The bill will reverse key aspects of a contentious 2012 shake-up of the NHS which handed greater operational independence to the health service and sharply increased the role of competition.

An environment bill, carried over from the previous parliamentary session, will include creation of a new environmental watchdog for England and fresh commitments on biodiversity.

Other measures are expected to liberalise rules on gene editing in agriculture, a cause long promoted by Johnson as one of the supposed benefits of Brexit.

Home secretary Priti Patel has secured a slot in the Queen’s Speech for her strategy on tackling violence against women and girls, which will focus on improving the low and declining conviction rates for some sexual offences, especially rape.

An animal welfare bill, championed by Johnson’s partner Carrie Symonds, will also be included in the speech.

Additional reporting by Robert Wright in London