5 things we learned from the King’s Speech 2026

With the government in freefall, King Charles rattled through 37 bills, some of which will bring in key changes for the sector.

Inside Housing has five key takeaways.

Third party bodies like Homes England will get powers under Remediation Bill

A ‘backstop’ will be introduced under the Remediation Bill to allow a third party such as Homes England to “step in and carry out remediation work themselves”.

The move will ensure “residents have a route to remediation even where the responsible party is determined to ignore their duty to keep residents safe”.

This will be backed by tough sanctions, including cost recovery and potential sale of responsible parties’ interest.

Construction product manufacturers will also be made to pay towards fixing unsafe cladding as part of the bill to speed up remediation work.

The legislation will aim to fix “longstanding gaps” in the law so that those who have paid for cladding work on buildings can chase product manufacturers for some of the cost, according to documents published after the speech.

Regulators will get powers to compel action and a legal duty to remediate will be introduced, with criminal prosecution for delays.

The bill will also set out in law how external wall assessments are carried out, ensuring a consistent approach to remediation work.

More protections for the sector’s social housing stock

A Social Housing Renewal Bill will aim to “reduce unnecessary bureaucracy and give providers greater regulatory certainty so that they can invest in new social and affordable homes with confidence”.

On protecting existing stock, a briefing document published alongside the speech reiterated the government’s commitment to Right to Buy reforms, including extending the eligibility requirement to 10 years.

It will also amend percentage discounts to better align with new maximum cash discounts, and exempt newly built social housing for 35 years.

The bill will also ensure that councils and other potential buyers are told before social homes are sold in an effort “to maximise opportunities to retain stock”.

For victims of domestic abuse, the bill will look to increase protections for those wanting to remain in their property away from their abuser, or move to suitable alternative accommodation.

The government also said previous legislation contained unnecessary bureaucracy and unused provisions “that would not have worked in the interests of tenants or providers”.

These include requirements for local authorities to sell high-value homes and grant flexible (fixed-term) tenancies, and the ability to charge higher rents for higher-income tenants.

These will be repealed and housing consents will be streamlined, further reducing bureaucracy for councils.

Delayed duty of candour proposals to be brought in under Hillsborough Law

The pledge for the Hillsborough Law will come in under the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, and will impose a duty of candour on public authorities and offices to act with candour, transparency and frankness.

Following a delay, the government revealed last year that these changes will extend to the Housing Ombudsman.

It will mean public authorities and officials are legally bound to tell the truth during official investigations, inquests and inquiries, and follows calls from bereaved families and survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire for the requirement.

The Hillsborough Law was a commitment in Labour’s 2024 election manifesto.

In January, the government said it would delay the Commons report stage and third reading of the bill, so that further amendments could be made to “get the right balance between transparency and national security”.

In late April, the House of Commons passed a ‘carry-over motion’ for the bill to allow it to be picked up in the parliamentary session beginning this month, without which the bill would have failed.

The bill had previously been blocked by the government in July 2025, which sparked outrage among Grenfell survivors and bereaved families.

Campaigners feared measures could be watered down and the duty of candour element removed, but in October the government said it would remain in the legislation.

Leasehold reforms rumble on

With the government accused of dragging its feet on leasehold reforms, there was an additional right to request a broadband connection under the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill included in the King’s Speech with “additional fixes”.

A draft version of the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill was published in January, and is currently being scrutinised by MPs in the Housing, Communities and Local Government select committee. The government will consider the committee’s recommendations before introducing the bill.

The final version includes most of the same measures, as well as “fixes” to the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024, and a new right for leaseholders in flats to request improvements such as a gigabit-capable broadband connection.

The bill will apply to England and Wales, and will “modernise property law, deliver a fair and efficient modern housing market and transform the experience of homeownership for millions of leaseholders across the country”.

The government believes the bill “progresses key reforms necessary to honour” Labour’s manifesto commitment to “finally [bringing] the feudal leasehold system to an end in this parliament”.

In a change to the draft bill published in January, the final version will amend enfranchisement provisions in the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 that make it cheaper and easier for leaseholders to extend their lease or buy their freehold.

As the draft bill set out, the legislation will create a new legal framework for commonhold, providing full freehold ownership for flats and a bespoke approach to communal living without control by third-party landlords, and making commonhold “workable” for more types of buildings.

Gaps and risks in the legislative agenda remain

Many in the sector welcomed the government announcements – you can read some key initial reaction here – but gaps in the government’s policy agenda remain.

A spokesperson for campaign group End Our Cladding Scandal said: “We remain concerned that current proposals will do little to make a difference any time soon, and will not meet Labour’s manifesto commitments on building safety.

“We are continuing to push Labour to take control of remediation at all buildings and address the range of issues and gaps, such as non-cladding defects, non-qualifying leaseholders, subjective risk assessments, buildings insurance, shared ownership and much more.”

Li Yen Lim, construction and engineering lawyer at Freeths, explained that the Remediation Bill comes with risks.

She said: “Imposing hard deadlines and criminal sanctions may force action, but it does not resolve the underlying reality practitioners see daily: remediation is delayed not by reluctance alone, but by complex liability chains, and an evolving, still uncertain framework under the Building Safety Act 2022.

“Without greater clarity on key provisions, for instance the parameters of the just and equitable test in relation to liability of associated entities in claims for Building Liability Orders and Remediation Contribution Orders, the bill may simply front-load disputes rather than unblock them.”

The Association of Directors of Housing raised concerns about the state of local authority finances and the lack of housing benefit reforms.

The group said: “We urge government to fully fund new burdens on Housing Revenue Accounts, give councils access to low-interest loans – on a similar basis to [those] already available to housing associations – and uprate Local Housing Allowance rates and temporary accommodation subsidies to reflect current costs.”