Lords

• View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231123431705/en/
  Baroness Natalie Evans of Bowes Park, former UK Cabinet Minister as Leader of the House of Lords and Senior Advisor, Policy and Ethics of Changeblock Limited.
• The appointment of Baroness Evans will significantly strengthen the Company’s efforts in this regard, and augments the work already being done with multiple standard and verification agencies.
• Billy Richards and Baroness Natalie Evans from Changeblock will attend COP28 in Dubai.
• The roundtable, titled “The Critical Role of Integrity in Carbon Credits and Offsets for Effective Planet Repair,” will explore sustainable carbon mitigation strategies.

Today, King Charles will give his first speech from the throne as monarch. He delivered the queen’s speech once as Prince of Wales, deputising in May 2022 for his mother, who could not attend. This is the first speech by a king since 1951, though on that occasion King George VI was too ill to attend and the speech was read out by the Lord Chancellor.

Who writes the king’s speech and why does it matter?

• There, he reads out a speech outlining the government’s plans and priorities for the year ahead.
• Although it is known as the king’s speech, it is actually written by the government, for the monarch.

What happens at the speech?

• The monarch sits on the royal throne in the House of Lords – the upper house.
• No seats are provided for MPs, so they have to crowd into an inadequate space at the back.
• Meanwhile, the door of the Commons is slammed in black rod’s face as a reminder of the independence of the Commons.

What if the monarch disagrees with the speech?

• The monarch has the right to advise, warn and encourage the prime minister on policy.
• In return he must always follow the prime minister’s advice and he must read the prime minister’s speech.

What can we expect from this year’s king’s speech?

• This is something the king himself has to gauge, with advice from the government.
• The speech is the first indication of the government’s legislative priorities for the year ahead.
• We can certainly expect reference to housing and the cost of living crisis, and possibly to the ongoing crises in Gaza and Ukraine.

Sean Lang does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

• Save for a last-minute spending deal in Congress on Oct. 1, 2023, hundreds of thousands of federal employees will be furloughed and the business of government will grind to a halt.
• By some accounts, it would be the 22nd time since 1976 that the U.S. has had to deal with this political paralysis.
• But it doesn’t have to be like this – and in most countries it isn’t.
• Other Western democracies experience polarization and political turmoil, too, yet do not experience this problem.

1. Legislative power

• In the U.K., only the executive branch – the party or coalition in power – has the authority to propose spending plans.
• Parliament, which consists of members from all political parties, maintains an oversight and approval role, but it has very limited power over the budgetary timeline or to amend spending plans.
• Yet, the Constitution grants Congress the power of the purse – that is, the power to tax and spend.
• That gave Congress more power but also offered it more opportunities to bicker and derail the budgetary process.

2. Thresholds to pass a budget

• Passing the U.S. budget is inherently more complicated, as it requires the support of both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
• In Parliament, however, the two houses – the elected House of Commons and unelected House of Lords – are not equally involved.
• Additionally, approving the budget in Westminster requires only an absolute majority of votes in the House of Commons.
• While a simple majority suffices in the House of Representatives, the Senate still has a 60-vote requirement to close debates before proceeding with a majority vote to pass a bill.

3. Political stakes

• U.S. and U.K. politicians do not face the same high stakes over budget approval.
• Members of Congress may eventually pay a political price for how they vote on the budget, but there is no immediate threat to their jobs.
• U.K. governments can actually fall – be forced to resign or call for new elections – if they lose formal votes of confidence.
• Since confidence is also implied in other major votes, such as over the annual budget proposals, this raises the stakes for members of Parliament.

4. Distinctive appropriation rules

• Finally, rules about appropriation also set the U.S. apart.
• For many decades, federal agencies could still operate despite funding bills not being passed.
• But it is not a problem that the U.K. experiences because of its distinct rules on appropriation.
• So-called “votes on account” allow the U.K. government “to obtain an advance on the money they need for the next financial year.”

• The final sticking point, which the House of Lords tried to address in a series of amendments, was about the bill’s treatment of people who have experienced modern slavery.
• They will also not be able to access protections under the Modern Slavery Act.
• The home secretary, Suella Braverman, has said that the government wants to help “genuine” victims of modern slavery.
• As our analysis at the Modern Slavery Policy and Evidence Centre points out, prosecution usually relies on testimonies of the victims.

Modern slavery protections

• These were expanded in 2015 under the Modern Slavery Act to cover those experiencing slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour.
• Ministers have argued that irregular migrants are falsely claiming to be victims of modern slavery to avoid being deported.
• A very small proportion (7%) of people who arrived on small boats between 2018 and 2022 were referred as potential victims of modern slavery.
• Nevertheless, the government insists that removing modern slavery protections for non-UK citizens who enter the UK illegally will make people in these groups easier to detain and deport, and act as a deterrent for others.

Opposition in the Lords

• The House of Lords led opposition to the bill in Westminster, proposing a number of amendments on human rights grounds.
• One proposal was to add an exception to the legislation, so that people would not be disqualified from modern slavery protections even if they entered the UK illegally.
• For a number of reasons, it can take years for victims to come forward to police about their situation.

Immigration policy and modern slavery

• By dismantling modern slavery protections, while at the same time tightening immigration rules, they are arguably defying this political “balance”.
• The Illegal Migration Act will deny protections to thousands of people, and is based on unevidenced claims about abuse of the modern slavery system.
• The protection of those affected by modern slavery should be separated from the politics of immigration controls.