‘Ambitious’ is one way to describe the King’s Speech, although expert reactions are divided over whether it will lead to real change.
The King’s Speech has dominated the news agenda this week, with anticipation shaping headlines in the days leading up to its delivery and reaction continuing to circulate online ever since.
Shortly after the speech was unveiled on Wednesday, we reported on its key points. Prime minister Keir Starmer wrote the introduction to the speech, saying it would be used ‘to make the country stronger and fairer.’
Now, with the dust beginning to settle, we’ve gathered reactions from industry experts – though not all are as optimistic as Starmer.
Anna Taylor, executive director at the Good Food Bill Campaign
‘Despite huge pressures on household food bills, it is remarkable that today’s King’s Speech did not feature food at all.
‘Food prices are a huge concern of the British public – cited by 92% of consumers in the most recent Food Standards Agency tracker, with 60% highly concerned, the highest level on record (FSA Consumer Insights Tracker, December 2025).
‘Conflict in the Middle East is disrupting the supply chains that feed this country. A third of families continue to struggle to afford a healthy diet. British fruit and vegetable production has fallen 16% in a decade, and climate change is projected to drive food inflation up by a third by 2050. Yet the government chose silence.
‘We call on the government to bring forward food legislation before the end of this Parliament. The next food shock is not a question of if, but when. The cost of waiting will be measured in NHS waiting lists, food bank queues, and communities that have simply run out of options.’
Anna Clarke, director of policy and public affairs at The Housing Forum
‘The Housing Forum is acutely aware of the vital role that council homes can play in meeting housing needs. Our local authority members are passionate about building new council homes but many areas continue to see more homes sold than can be replaced. Reforming the Right to Buy – including increasing eligibility periods, and reducing the discounts – will help slow the loss of much-needed social rented homes.
‘We are particularly pleased to see the protections for newbuild housing being taken forward. This will help give councils the confidence to build new homes knowing that they will remain as social housing for the long term.
Russell Dean, heat pump expert at Mitsubishi Electric
‘The King’s Speech shows the government is serious about tackling energy security. Recent months have made it clear just how closely energy independence is tied to the UK’s economic prosperity.
‘The Energy Independence Bill confirmed today is a welcome step to meet this goal and reduce energy costs for homeowners, while also tackling climate change. But there is still more work to be done to make renewables the obvious, affordable choice for everyone.
‘To achieve this, we need to move further towards the decoupling of electricity prices from volatile gas prices. This will immediately help both homeowners and businesses see cost savings from moving to technology like heat pumps.’
Sim Sekhon, group CEO at LegalforLandlords
‘Any further reform of the leasehold system is likely to be welcomed by leaseholders, but there is also a real risk of unintended financial consequences for landlords, freeholders and even pension funds exposed to ground rent investments.
‘Measures such as capping ground rents and reducing enfranchisement premiums could significantly impact long-term asset values and income streams, particularly for landlords who have structured investments around existing lease agreements. In some cases, freeholders could effectively face a double financial hit through both reduced rental income and lower enfranchisement values.
‘The key challenge for the government will be striking a fair balance between improving protections for leaseholders while avoiding reforms that create market instability, discourage investment or inadvertently impact consumers through weaker pension fund performance and reduced housing sector confidence.’
Andy Bell, chief executive at Centre for Mental Health
‘We welcome the news, confirmed in the King’s Speech that the government has committed to bringing forward legislation to ban ‘abusive conversion practices’. This is long overdue, with the Labour Party manifesto committing to ‘finally deliver a full trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices’. The proposed Bill must be trans-inclusive to meaningfully address these abusive, harmful and outdated practices.
‘We also welcome that the government will seek to allow young people to flourish in work, being informed by both the Milburn and Timms review.
‘It is critical that young people and disabled people are adequately supported, rather than chastised, for the challenges they face in accessing meaningful and rewarding work.
‘It is vital that we move away from focusing on individual responsibility, instead recognising the wider drivers that have shaped this crisis: the changing nature of the labour market and high levels of mental ill health, stress and burnout amongst children and young people.’
Rosie Downes, head of campaigns at Friends of the Earth
‘An Energy Independence Bill is urgently needed to unlock the UK’s vast homegrown renewable potential and deliver a step change in energy efficiency.
‘Conflict in the Middle East has once again laid bare the dangers of our reliance on volatile fossil fuel markets. Investing in clean power from wind, waves and solar will strengthen our energy security and build a more stable, affordable future for households and businesses.
‘This legislation must also shut the door on fracking once and for all. Labour has pledged a permanent ban – now it must deliver one that covers every form of fracking, including so-called ‘proppant squeeze’. A loophole in the current moratorium is already being exploited by fossil fuel companies, putting communities across England at risk.’
Petra Wilton, director of policy and external affairs at the Chartered Management Institute
‘Getting more young people into work is one of the defining challenges of our time, and we hope the UK government and the Milburn Review look not just at getting young people into jobs, but what happens once they get there.
‘With 82% of managers in this country never having received formal training, there is a serious danger that unprepared managers will sink any ambitious plans to get more young people into work.
‘A first manager can make a young person’s future, or break it. If Britain wants a generation of young people to not just get a temporary job, but to stay in work and build careers, it is time to properly invest in the managers responsible for supporting, guiding and keeping them in work.’
Richard Macphail, partner and co-head of social housing at Browne Jacobson
‘The Social Housing Renewal Bill addresses real and pressing issues – the chronic underinvestment in social housing stock, the inadequacy of existing protections for domestic abuse victims in housing, and the bureaucratic barriers that have slowed delivery for too long.
‘Local authorities and registered providers will broadly welcome this, but they will want clarity on the funding mechanisms and whether central government investment will be matched by a reduction in the regulatory burden that has made development increasingly difficult.
‘The enhanced protections for domestic abuse victims are particularly important and will require close collaboration between housing providers, local authorities, and support services to be effective in practice.’
Images: Andrey Metelev/UnSplash, Shutterstock and alpha innotec/UnSplash
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