One of the vagaries of the UK political system is just how quickly a victorious opposition party takes control of the machinery of government following a general election. Less than a fortnight after securing a significant majority in the House of Commons, the Labour administration under Sir Keir Starmer was setting out its priorities for the parliamentary year ahead.
The King’s Speech was heavy on Bills, which numbered 40 in total, but notably light on clues as to how Labour will act on food and farming policy, a fact not lost on Conservative MP Graham Stuart who, in the subsequent debate, remarked upon the lack of mention of rural or farming communities.
What we did see was the legislative ball begin to roll on key manifesto pledges, including restrictions on advertising of junk food to children and a ban on the sale of high caffeine energy drinks to children.
Elsewhere, there was plenty of policy of relevance to hospitality and foodservice businesses contained in the various Bills, much of which had a clear environmental or social focus.
On energy, Great British Energy will be established as a publicly owned company to help accelerate investment in renewable energy such as offshore wind. A new national wealth fund will be capitalised with £7.3bn to help mobilise investment in the green economy, while the Planning and Infrastructure Bill promises to streamline the development of critical infrastructure including upgrades to the national grid and renewables.
A shake-up of workers’ rights will see zero-hour contracts (which are common in the food supply chain in jobs such as food processing and meal delivery) banned; a promise to set a “genuine living wage that accounts for the cost of living” that applies equally to every adult worker; and legislation on race equality that will enshrine the full right to equal pay in law and introduce mandatory ethnicity and disability pay reporting for employers with 250+ employees, as is already required for gender pay. Reform of the apprenticeship levy is also on the agenda, something that was a key ask for the hospitality sector, although there was frustration that promised reform of business rates did not feature among the Bills.
Elsewhere, there was a pledge to ensure the responsibilities of those involved in the supply of products, such as online marketplaces, are clear, enabling the government to better protect consumers; on the face of it this has potential implications for the growing volume of food traded via social media platforms and online marketplaces that has previously sparked fears among regulators over food safety standards.
Business and environmental groups were largely positive in their response to the King’s Speech with a general sense that a new government is being given the benefit of the doubt for now. “It’s positive to see significant measures announced today that can help hospitality achieve its growth potential of 6% a year,” said Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality.
Kate Norgrove, WWF’s executive director said: “The King’s Speech represents a big step in the right direction by prioritising climate action and accelerating the rollout of cheap, clean British energy through GB Energy.”
The focus will now turn to the altogether knottier task of delivery.
Also featured in this week’s Footprint news is research showing that ultra-processed foods dominate the diets of young people; evidence that UK supermarkets are lagging behind on the protein transition; and a survey showing that the price of food still dominates consumer concerns.
