Xiaohongshu
Last week King Charles opened Parliament with the King’s Speech, setting out the government’s agenda for the next Parliamentary session.
Parliament is where new laws are made and where debates on key issues take place. It’s made up of two ‘Houses’; the House of Commons and House of Lords. The House of Commons consists of Members of Parliaments (MPs) who are elected every 5 years. The House of Lords consists of ‘peers’ who are not elected but are chosen for their expertise in different fields or inherit the position.
What is the State Opening?
The State Opening is an event which marks the start of a new parliamentary session. A session usually runs from spring to spring. The monarch, King Charles, formally opens Parliament and delivers a speech which outlines the government’s proposed policies and legislation for the coming parliamentary session.
Many of the topics which are addressed, like instability around housing, the cost-of-living crisis, and job opportunities, will directly impact students.
The speech
This year’s speech introduced 37 bills across several issues; housing, defence, energy, the NHS, education, and more.
A Bill is a proposal for a new law, or a proposal to change an existing law, and it gets presented for debate in Parliament before it can be passed.
Here are some of the bills that were mentioned, which are relevant to students:
- The Social Housing Renewal Bill aims to increase long-term investment in social housing. This is important because social housing has a direct impact on the private rental sector, where most students are. This is also linked to the recent Renter’s Rights Act which we campaigned on.
- The Energy Independence Bill promises to scale-up homegrown renewable energy and protect living standards for the long-term. Energy bills are high and rising, an issue felt acutely by students, so it’s hoped that this bill will be good for consumers.
- The Clean Water Bill creates a new regulator for the industry and a new water ombudsman to provide stronger consumer protections.
- The European Partnership Bill seeks to strengthen ties with the European Union. This comes in light of the announcement of the UK joining the Erasmus+ programme from 2027.
- The Northern Powerhouse Rail Bill encompasses plans to improve East-West transport in the North of England.
Also mentioned in the speech was a commitment to tackling climate change, achieving a world free from poverty, and championing the rights of women and girls.
As always, we will continue to work with Members of Parliament to make sure your issues are on the agenda and bring about positive change for all UCL students. We do this by regularly meeting and speaking with MPs, local authorities, and other stakeholders. Beyond this, we work in collaboration with other Students’ Unions through RGSU to ensure that student voices are heard throughout politics.
You can read the full speech here: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/the-kings-speech-2026
Get in touch
If you would like to get involved or discuss the issues above, then please contact me at [email protected]