This House of Lords Library Briefing has been published ahead of day 3 of the Lords debate on the Queen’s Speech, covering the following subjects: economic affairs, business, agriculture, environment, energy and transport.
Queen's Speech: Debate in the House of Lords Day 3 (593KB 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 bills were lost at the close of the previous parliamentary session on 8 October 2019, having not been carried over. These included two bills concerning non-domestic ratings and the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill. The Government has said it remains committed to recognising animal sentience in UK law post-Brexit but has not said whether it intends to pursue this through the Animal Welfare (Sentencing and Recognition of Sentience) Bill, published in draft in December 2017. The High Speed Rail (West Midlands–Crewe) Bill was carried over, but the future of the HS2 project is currently subject to review.
To provide context, the briefing gives a snapshot of current economic performance across several indicators. It also sets out the key announcements made in the spending round in September. In his speech, the Chancellor, Sajid Javid, announced there would be increases in spending across all government departments. Following the announcement, doubt has been expressed by some as to whether the spending round was consistent with existing fiscal rules.
Queen's Speech: Debate in the House of Lords Day 3 (593KB PDF)
The Nature’s Rights Bill [HL] is a private member’s bill sponsored by Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party). The bill would recognise nature as a legal subject, granting it specific rights for protection and restoration. The bill would set out a legal framework for how this would operate, including an integrated rights framework and mechanisms for how nature’s rights would be implemented and enforced.
![Nature’s Rights Bill [HL]: HL Bill 7 of 2026–27](https://lordslibrary-parliament.studio24.dev/content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/Environment-568x426.png)
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 Railways Bill would implement parts of the government’s plan to nationalise the railways, which was a manifesto commitment. It would create Great British Railways, a new publicly owned body that would be a “directing mind” for the railways, bringing “track and train together”. It would also give new powers to the Passengers’ Council and require the government to publish a long-term strategy for rail, among other things.
