King’s Speech 2026: Devolved affairs
This briefing explores what announcements the government could make in the King’s Speech on 13 May 2026 about devolved affairs.
Documents to download
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Crown Estate (Wales) Bill [HL] (316KB PDF)
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Supporting documents
The Crown Estate (Wales) Bill [HL] is a private member’s bill seeking to transfer responsibility for the Crown Estate in Wales to the Welsh government. The bill’s second reading is scheduled to take place in the House of Lords on 7 February 2025. It has been introduced by Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru).
There have been other recent attempts in Parliament to devolve the management of the Crown Estate in Wales to the Welsh government. A similar bill was introduced in the House of Commons in the 2021–22 parliamentary session by Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd) but did not progress past first reading. Additionally, several members of the House of Lords unsuccessfully tabled amendments to devolve the Crown Estate during the Lords stages of the Crown Estate Bill [HL] 2024–25.
Some stakeholders, including members of Senedd Cymru (the Welsh Parliament), have supported devolving the management of the Crown Estate in Wales. However, the UK government has rejected this, citing concerns about delayed energy grid connectivity reform, the commercial viability of a smaller entity in Wales, and the current economic benefits to Wales from income from the Crown Estate’s portfolio.
Related Links
Documents to download
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Crown Estate (Wales) Bill [HL] (316KB PDF)
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Supporting documents
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