Government

A bill to settle contractual or financial disputes faster will proceed under the new Labour government, after it took advice from the Law Commission. The Arbitration Bill will continue through parliament following the King’s Speech earlier this week. It was introduced to parliament by the previous Conservative government last November and…

Industry figures have called for clarity around product-marking regulations after the government signalled it may allow alignment with European standards to continue. This week’s King’s Speech, the first under Sir Keir Starmer's premiership, contained plans to bring forward a Product Safety and Metrology Bill. Background papers published after the speech…

Suppliers have said they are confident they can meet any extra demand for materials generated by the government’s ambition to increase housebuilding and infrastructure activity. Industry experts said there would not be an immediate increase in demand on supply chains but added that suppliers were ready to step up activity.…

The government’s plans to increase growth across the construction sector have been broadly welcomed by senior figures. The raft of measures set out in the King’s Speech received cautious support, with responses including pledges to work with politicians at all levels to turn the opportunities into reality. Alongside the traditional…

The new government has revealed plans in the King’s Speech for a “mission-led” drive to create economic growth and jobs – creating clear opportunities for the construction industry. The ceremonial speech from King Charles, delivered this morning, set out the legislation aimed at meeting Number 10’s pledge to “build more…

Employment rights, planning laws and UK infrastructure are set for major overhaul, starting with new legislation to be announced in the King’s Speech. The new government will continue its frenetic pace of change with the traditional announcement of new laws for the parliamentary session, many of which are expected to…

Sarah Jones has been appointed as construction minister, Construction News understands. The MP for Croydon West was appointed as minister of state in the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero on Monday (8 July). CN understands the Construction Leadership Council was…

As the election results rolled in on Friday morning (5 July), former Mace executive-turned-hopeful MP Mike Reader reflected on how familiar the last week had felt: the stress and pressure as deadline day approached, the long hours, coordinating a large team – all skills he developed winning major jobs like…

New housing secretary Angela Rayner could revive two data centre projects on Home Counties greenbelt land that were previously rejected by local councils. Councillors initially ruled against both projects due to their greenbelt status, but faced appeals from the developers. The councils both received letters informing them that Rayner will…

The new government has announced it is dropping ‘levelling up’ from the name of the housing department.  Deputy prime minister and housing secretary Angela Rayner told staff at the department of the name change on Monday (8 July) as she pledged: “No more gimmicks.”   The Department for Levelling Up,…