This House of Lords Library Briefing has been published ahead of days 1 and 2 of the Lords debate on the Queen’s Speech, covering the following subjects: exiting the European Union, trade, foreign affairs and defence.
Queen's Speech: Debate in the House of Lords Days 1 and 2 (401KB PDF)
The briefing identifies key bills that may be announced in the Queen’s Speech. This is based on existing government commitments foreshadowing such legislation and press reports. Additional bills may be announced not covered in this briefing. Details vary but at the time of writing possible government bills include:
Several Brexit bills were lost at the close of the previous parliamentary session on 8 October 2019, having not been carried over. These included bills concerning trade, immigration, fisheries and agriculture. It is unclear whether these bills will be reintroduced and in what format. The Government has said it is “satisfied that all the bills that are needed prior to leaving the European Union on 31 October are in place”.
To provide additional background and a flavour of the Government’s priorities, the briefing also explores some recent developments in each policy area, highlighting relevant government announcements where policy positions are known. On trade matters, the Government has made announcements on tariff regimes and freeports. It has also announced secondary legislation has been drafted that would impose a sanctions regime for human rights abuses under the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018. Commitments on shipbuilding have also been made.
Queen's Speech: Debate in the House of Lords Days 1 and 2 (401KB PDF)
The UK is a signatory to the convention establishing an international claims commission for Ukraine. The commission would assess claims for compensation for damage and losses caused by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The House of Lords International Agreements Committee has broadly welcomed the convention, but also raised concerns about the scope and efficacy of the commission.
In January 2026, the government announced a new scheme to support urgent repairs and essential improvements to listed places of worship. Called the ‘Places of worship renewal fund for England’, it replaced the ‘Listed places of worship grant scheme’ which had run since 2001. This briefing provides an overview of both schemes, the government’s reasoning for the change and the reaction of stakeholders.
The National Security (State Threats) Bill would create new powers for the home secretary to designate bodies engaged in state threat activity, equivalent to the proscription of terrorist organisations under the Terrorism Act 2000. The bill would create three new offences associated with designation of supporting, assisting, or receiving material benefit from a designated body. These offences would carry sentences of up to 14 years’ imprisonment.
