Home affairs by topic
Home affairs includes the following topic areas. Please click the links to access lists of publications by topic:
Communities
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Local Plans (Burial Space) Bill [HL]: HL Bill 8 of session 2026–27
The Local Plans (Burial Space) Bill [HL] is a private member’s bill introduced by Lord Mohammed of Tinsley (Liberal Democrat). The bill would establish a duty for local planning authorities in England to ensure adequate burial ground space is provided in their local area. It would also require them to set out plans for how they intend to address any shortfall in burial ground capacity.
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Funding for listed places of worship: Recent changes
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.
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Acute, primary and community healthcare
There have been big differences in expenditure across different forms of healthcare for a number of years. In 2024/25, spending on acute care was £74.7bn, compared to £14.5bn on primary care and £13.8bn on community services. Both the 2024 Labour Party manifesto and the subsequent 10 year health plan for England contained an emphasis on shifting towards more care being delivered in local communities rather than in acute settings, dubbed a ‘neighbourhood health service’.
Crime
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Public Office (Accountability) Bill: HL Bill 42 of 2026–27
The Public Office (Accountability) Bill is a government bill introduced in the House of Commons in the 2024–26 session. It was carried over to the current session and completed its Commons stages on 14 July 2026. It is scheduled to have its second reading in the House of Lords on 1 September 2026.
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Conduct of Undercover Policing and Surveillance Operatives Bill [HL]: HL Bill 9 of 2026–27
The Conduct of Undercover Policing and Surveillance Operatives Bill is a private member’s bill introduced in the House of Lords. It would make it an offence for a person deployed as a covert human intelligence source (CHIS) to engage in an intimate sexual relationship with any person they have been deployed to target, who is a member of the group they have been deployed to target, or whom they encounter during their deployment.
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Protecting populations from atrocity crimes
The UK is required to contribute towards the prevention of atrocity crimes globally. Successive UK governments have used various mechanisms aimed at preventing mass atrocities. Nevertheless, concerns have been raised in recent years regarding the continued occurrence of large-scale violence worldwide. This has prompted some parliamentarians and external stakeholders to call on the government to do more to prevent such atrocities.
Culture, media and sport
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Creative Education Access Bill [HL]: HL Bill 17 of 2026–27
The Creative Education Access Bill [HL] would introduce a minimum entitlement to creative and cultural education for pupils at state-funded schools in England. The bill would establish a minimum number of hours of creative learning per week and would require schools to take reasonable steps to develop partnerships with the creative sector.
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Sporting Events Bill [HL]: HL Bill 3 of 2026–27
The second reading of the Sporting Events Bill [HL] is due to take place in the House of Lords on 3 June 2026. The bill would establish a common legislative framework that could be applied to major sporting events in the UK. It would cover ticket touting, advertising and trading, unauthorised association and transport.
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Funding for the arts
Since 2010, various sources have reported that funding for the arts has decreased creating challenges for organisations and individuals in the sector. This briefing examines how the arts are currently funded, what challenges the sector faces and what recent action the government has taken in this area. It also provides an overview of a recent independent review of the Arts Council England.
Family and civil law
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Cohabitation Rights Bill [HL]: HL Bill 14 of 2026–27
The Cohabitation Rights Bill [HL] is a private member’s bill introduced by Lord Marks of Henley-on-Thames (Liberal Democrat). The bill would provide certain protections for cohabiting couples, for example in the event one of them dies. Its second reading is scheduled for 17 July 2026.
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King’s Speech 2026: Justice
This briefing explores what announcements the government could make in the King’s Speech on 13 May 2026 about justice.
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King’s Speech 2026: Health
This briefing explores what announcements the government could make in the King’s Speech on 13 May 2026 about health.
Immigration
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Declining birth rates and population ageing: Impact and government response
The UK’s low and declining birth rate, alongside increasing life expectancy, is contributing to population ageing. This has raised concerns about potential effects on the size of the workforce, demand for public services and economic growth. This briefing considers these issues and sets out the government’s response to such concerns.
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King’s Speech 2026: Home affairs
This briefing explores what announcements the government could make in the King’s Speech on 13 May 2026 about home affairs.
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Modern foreign language education in England
In recent years, concerns have been raised about the state of modern foreign language education in England. These concerns have mainly focused on a decrease in the number of students studying the subjects and a shortage of specialist teachers. Various commentators have described these issues as a ‘vicious circle’ arguing that they are linked. The government has set out various measures aimed at addressing these issues, including the use of financial incentives, but has said it would not introduce visa waivers.
Justice
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Public Office (Accountability) Bill: HL Bill 42 of 2026–27
The Public Office (Accountability) Bill is a government bill introduced in the House of Commons in the 2024–26 session. It was carried over to the current session and completed its Commons stages on 14 July 2026. It is scheduled to have its second reading in the House of Lords on 1 September 2026.
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Youth Justice Board for England and Wales (Restoration of Powers and Responsibilities) Bill [HL]: HL Bill 20 of 2026–27
The bill would make the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales (YJB) primarily responsible for certain youth justice functions, provide a formal role for the Welsh government in some youth justice decisions, and restrict the UK government’s ability to alter the YJB’s functions through secondary legislation.
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Genocide Determination Bill [HL]: HL Bill 13 of 2026–27
The bill would enable the High Court in England and Wales, the Court of Session in Scotland and the High Court in Northern Ireland, to make preliminary determinations on whether a genocide is occurring overseas, or if there is deemed to be a serious risk of one occurring. The bill would require the government to refer the preliminary determination to international bodies such as the International Court of Justice.
Security
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Health Bill: HL Bill 52 of 2026–27
The Health Bill is intended to make changes to the NHS in England, including abolishing NHS England. It would also abolish Healthwatch and move the Heath Services Safety Inspectorate Board into the CQC. The bill would establish a single patient record, making patient data available across healthcare settings and directly to patients. In the House of Commons, amendments were made on visiting patients, medicines and medical devices regulation, and pharmaceutical services.
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Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill: HL Bill 32 of 2026–27
The Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill is a government bill intended to strengthen the cyber security of organisations in the UK that provide essential services, such as healthcare, drinking water and energy. It would amend the Network and Information Systems (NIS) Regulations 2018 to include additional sectors and update incident reporting duties. It would also confer powers on the secretary of state to amend the legislation and issue directions to organisations when necessary for national security. The bill is scheduled for its second reading in the House of Lords on 14 July 2026.
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National Security (State Threats) Bill: HL Bill 35 of 2026–27
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.
