Research briefing setting out the government’s commitments covering welfare and pensions for the House of Lords debate on the 2024 King’s Speech.
King’s Speech 2024: Welfare and pensions (335KB PDF)
This briefing sets out the commitments in the Labour Party’s 2024 general election manifesto on welfare and pensions. It covers commitments on disability benefits, a review of universal credit, and child poverty. On pensions, it covers the commitment to retain the state pension triple lock, to reform private pensions, and to review the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme arrangements.
The Library’s briefings for the King’s Speech draw on the Labour Party’s manifesto and other material in the public domain. They have been written in advance of the 2024 King’s Speech to help members of the House of Lords prepare for the debate on the speech. They do not constitute official information about the government’s intentions or provide a complete list of bills to be announced.
King’s Speech 2024: Welfare and pensions (335KB PDF)
Concerns have been raised about levels of welfare spending in the UK and increasing numbers of young people not in education, employment or training. This briefing sets out statistics, government policy and commentary on welfare and youth employment. This includes the government’s youth guarantee, its ‘Get Britain working’ policies and the interim report by Alan Milburn on young people and work.
Rural areas contribute a significant proportion of England’s economic output. The government has announced several policies intended to support growth in the rural economy, including farming. However, it has faced criticism for the delay in outlining its overall strategy for the agricultural sector. This briefing provides data on the rural economy and summarises government policy and stakeholder reaction
The government established a taskforce in July 2024 to develop a strategy to reduce child poverty in the UK. Published in December 2025, the strategy included a combination of previously implemented and new policies. While charities, think tanks and other groups generally welcomed the strategy, particularly the removal of the two-child universal credit limit and extension of free school meals, some argued for further reforms to the social security system.
