Research briefing setting out the government’s commitments covering home affairs for the House of Lords debate on the 2024 King’s Speech.
King’s Speech 2024: Home affairs (371 KB , PDF)
In its 2024 manifesto, the Labour Party set out plans relating to both the immigration and the criminal justice systems.
Labour’s plans to tackle the issue of small boats crossing the channel have focused on targeting people smugglers. It therefore announced the creation of a new border command with counter-terror style powers for police. The party has also said that it would seek a new security arrangement with the EU to enable real-time intelligence sharing. Other measures announced in this area include the cancellation of the Rwanda scheme, the hiring of additional case workers to help clear the asylum backlog and seeking further bilateral returns arrangements.
Focusing on countering terrorism, Labour has announced that it would introduce ‘Martyn’s law’, which would require certain public spaces and venues to take actions aimed at ensuring preparedness for and protection against terrorist attacks. In addition, the party has committed to updating the rules around counter-extremism and ensuring that police and intelligence services have the powers and resources needed to protect the public from terrorism and hostile espionage.
The party has also announced a variety of measures in relation to policing and criminal justice. It has been claimed that these measures could feature as part of a crime and policing bill. They include measures relating to knife crime, violence against women and girls, anti-social behaviour, a neighbourhood policing guarantee, police standards and training, cooperation with the Crown Prosecution Service and fraud. Unpinning these measures, the party’s manifesto included aims to halve knife crime as well as violence against women and girls in a decade.
The Library’s briefings for the King’s Speech draw on the Labour Party’s manifesto and other material in the public domain. They have been written in advance of the 2024 King’s Speech to help members of the House of Lords prepare for the debate on the speech. They do not constitute official information about the government’s intentions or provide a complete list of bills to be announced.
King’s Speech 2024: Home affairs (371 KB , PDF)
The European Convention on Human Rights was signed by the members of the Council of Europe, including the UK, in Rome in 1950. The UK was one of the first states to ratify it in 1951 and it is now incorporated into UK law through the Human Rights Act 1998. The UK government has recently restated its unequivocal commitment to the convention.
The crown court backlog reached a record high of 73,105 cases in September 2024. The impact on victims, witnesses and defendants has been significant as they wait longer for their cases to be resolved. The government commissioned an independent review of criminal courts that will produce reform recommendations to address crown court pressures. Whilst stakeholders have welcomed the review, some have called for more immediate action to reduce the backlog.
Integration and community cohesion have both been identified as important factors to enable people from different communities to live and work together. Like the previous Conservative government, the current Labour government has committed to policies intended to support integration in order to improve community cohesion. This briefing summarises how integration and community cohesion are conceptualised and measured and discusses the debate on effective integration strategies.
