Mirror readers divided over Government legislation outlined in King’s Speech

16 November 2023 , 14:57

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King Charles read out the proposed legislation which had been written by the Government (Image: Getty Images)

King Charles announced the Government’s priorities for the upcoming parliamentary session at the State Opening of Parliament last week (November 7) - and we asked Mirror readers what they thought of the proposed legislation.

The 2023 speech brought together the three constituent parts of Parliament, which include the Sovereign, the House of Lords and the House of Commons. As part of the significant occasion, Charles read out the Government's agenda, which included 21 bills.

Among the policies was the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which will increase the age people can buy cigarettes by one year every year. Those born after January 2009 - so anyone who is 14 or younger at the moment - will never be allowed to purchase them. It will also prevent the availability of vapes for children.

Another proposal will see tougher sentencing for criminals and grant judges extra powers to force criminals to attend their sentencing hearings. Offenders who commit murders with sexual or sadistic motives also will spend the rest of their lives in prison, under the proposals.

It will also give police the power to enter a building without a warrant to seize stolen goods, if they have evidence to suggest the item is inside the property. This means tracked apps, such as Find My iPhone, could be reasonable proof that stolen goods are inside the premises.

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The Government also plans to introduce an independent body to govern the top five leagues of English football and ministers will be required to run a North Sea oil and gas licensing round every year. It will also prioritise motorists over reducing carbon emissions, meaning local councils will find it harder to introduce 20mph speed limits or clean-air schemes such as the ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) in Greater London.

Westminster also heard leasehold reform proposals, where all newly built homes in England and Wales will have to be sold as freehold properties to stop the scandal of rip-off charges. Flats will not be covered by the long-promised leasehold ban, which campaigners argue will not go far enough. However, existing leaseholders are expected to get more power to manage their building and service charges.

We asked Mirror readers if they supported the proposed legislation outlined in the King’s Speech, and 48 percent said ‘No’. Around 1,532 people took part in our poll, and a hefty 738 disagreed with the agenda. Voicing their opinions in the comments section, one reader wrote: "Well what do readers think about the Kings Speech? Not a great deal really because they will not be the King's true thoughts. No it will be what the Tories think.

"And until there is a general election, the non mandated Sunak has so little authority left to be taken seriously. So its all rather pointless to start with." Another penned: "Although the idea of forcing murderers to attend their sentencing hearings might sound like a good idea I can foresee one potential problem. Some offenders will undoubtedly, deliberately, cause disruption which in turn will upset the families of the victims even more."

A third shared: "The government went to remove our choice of whether we smoke or not. Next we will be told what to drink. I am sure there are more important things. Like making the justice dept and police force fit for purpose. Dealing out proper life sentences. Illegal immigrants. Our debt problem. Abolishing the house of Lords. No our government want to ban smoking and have a minister in charge of football instead of dealing with the big issue."

A forth stated: "This speech isn't really the King's Speech, he's only reading what the Conservatives want. I'm all for life sentences meaning that they serve the rest of their lives in jail, but I firmly believe that they have to bring back the death penalty for such terrible heinous crimes that are being committed. Yes sentences should fit the crime, and the offenders serve the full extent of the sentences that get handed out. As a pensioner there was nothing in that speech that gave pensioners any mention."

In a previous article, one person expressed: "Most of the speech was just standard political nonsense as usual, but one part that intrigued me was the desire to interfere in football. The concern for football clubs would be better directed to setting up regulatory bodies to stop us getting ripped off by every business from energy to everyday essentials. That would have far more effect and benefits to people than deciding who their club directors can or cannot be. Maybe looking into the directors of major corporations would be more practical."

Meanwhile, 45 percent showed their support for the legislation and voted ‘Yes’ in our poll. Taking to another Mirror article, one reader wrote: "Nothing desperate about it at all there's a lot of things in it that will help a lot of people even you labour votes . But you don’t like that the Tory’s are doing things that will help you so you moan about it."

Only seven percent selected ‘Other’ in our poll. Please note that the poll is still live, so these results may change after the article has been published. You can still vote in the poll HERE to have your say on the proposed policies. Do you agree with the results? .

Freya Hodgson