Kent reacts as new Government sets out pledges for new parliament

As the new parliament officially opens, we have what the new Labour government's pledges mean for Kent.

Transcript

00:00From a new state-owned energy supplier, to rules about the future of Parliament.

00:05Today's King's Speech may not have made any direct references to Kent,

00:09but the pledges of the new Labour government are sure to make impacts here.

00:13Many were to be expected, such as reforms to planning procedures which Labour says will accelerate house building,

00:19a reference to the party's pledge to repurpose land on the Greenbelt,

00:23ending no-fault evictions to give renters what they call greater rights and protections,

00:29establish a new border security command, Labour's attempt to target criminal gangs behind small boat channel crossings,

00:35and as for transport, train operators are set to be brought into public ownership,

00:40whilst local councils are due to be given more control over local bus services.

00:45In total, 40 individual bills have been announced by the King,

00:49with a mixture of policies taken from Labour's manifesto and others that were brought in by the last Parliament.

00:55One of the policies that's being kept from the last government is the gradual ban on the sale of cigarettes.

01:00It was deeply divisive when it was first announced by Rishi Sunak,

01:03so here's what people in Gillingham think on it being kept.

01:07If they're allowed to smoke quite young and it reaches an older age, it's going to put more restraint on the NHS.

01:13So I think it is quite fair.

01:15No matter what the government does, they will always manage to get fags.

01:19It's fair because a lot more of them will probably live a lot longer than they would have without the ban.

01:25I think it's a bit stupid. I think they're just going to find other ways to get them, and it's just going to cause more harm really.

01:32It's not good for them. I don't think they should smoke, but you can't please the world.

01:40MPs will now debate over the policies announced in the King's speech and vote whether or not to approve it.

01:46With a Labour majority of 174 MPs, it's highly unlikely to be thrown out.

01:51It doesn't mean, however, that the new government is under any less scrutiny.

01:55I don't think this King's speech is particularly that ambitious.

01:59A number of the items were already carryovers from the previous Sunak government,

02:03whether that be the smoking ban or indeed that be the football regulator,

02:07which actually was an idea conceived following the work of my great friend

02:12and former Member of Parliament for Chatham House for Dame Tracey Crouch.

02:15So I think whilst the King's speech had a lot of great words and great one-liners within it,

02:21I think we'll have to see whether or not it delivers the growth that Labour say they're going to for the wider country.

02:27That is the path of national renewal, the rebuilding of our country, and we take another step today. Thank you, Mr Speaker.

02:35So as the new Labour-controlled era of Parliament is officially underway,

02:39just how well today's announcements are delivered could be the first marker for how this government is remembered.

02:45Bartholomew Hall for KMTV.