What might be announced in the King's Speech 2026?

The State Opening of Parliament and the 2026 King’s Speech are scheduled to take place on 13 May 2026.

What is the State Opening?

The State Opening marks the beginning of the parliamentary session. Its main purpose is for the Monarch to formally open Parliament and, in the King’s Speech, outline the government's proposed policies and legislation for the coming parliamentary session.

This briefing identifies issues and bills that may appear in the King’s Speech, including legislation that has been carried over from the last session, legislation announced in the July 2024 King’s Speech that might still be part of the government’s plans, and other issues that might be legislated on.

The briefing also includes general information about the ceremony and a summary of the progress of bills announced at the July 2024 King’s Speech. Details of all government bills introduced in the 2024–26 session can be found on the Find a Bill webpages.

Which bills are in progress?

For a bill to be ‘carried over’ into the next session, the Commons must agree a carry-over motion. In the 2024–26 session, carry-over motions were agreed for seven public bills:

• Armed Forces Bill
• Courts and Tribunals Bill
• Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill
• Northern Ireland Troubles Bill
• Public Office (Accountability) Bill
• Railways Bill
• Representation of the People Bill

A carry-over motion has also been agreed for one hybrid bill, the High Speed Rail (Crewe – Manchester) Bill.

One bill that was announced in the July 2024 King’s Speech, the National Wealth Fund Bill, was not introduced but may appear in the coming session.

Two draft bills, the draft Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill and the draft Equality (Race and Disability) Bill, were published in the 2024–26 session.

Two further draft bills, the draft Audit Reform and Corporate Governance Bill and the draft Conversion Practices Bill, were announced but were not published.

Potential subjects of legislation

Ministerial statements, government publications and press reporting indicate that there may be legislation on the following subjects in the 2026–27 session:

• veterinary and animal welfare reform
• reforms to the asylum system
• the nationalisation of British Steel
• reforms to financial services and business-to-business payments
• Digital ID
• Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) reform in England
• energy independence
• reform of the water sector
• the abolition of NHS England and other reforms in the 10 Year Health Plan
• reforms to the criminal justice and national security systems
• creating a legal duty to remediate defective cladding
• UK-EU agreements, including a sanitary and phytosanitary agreement
• local government standards and scrutiny of mayoral strategic authorities
• a new power for mayors to charge a visitor levy
• public procurement reform
• a process for removing peerages
• road safety

Other information

The Library research briefing, State Opening of Parliament – history and ceremonial, reviews how the ceremonial and practical arrangements of the State Opening of Parliament have changed over time.

The Library research briefing, 2024 King’s Speech: progress of legislation, shows the status of every bill announced in the King’s Speech in July 2024.