Queen's Speech 2022: What new laws could be announced?

On 10 May, the Queen is due to give her traditional speech to Parliament, in which she reads out what the government plans to do over the next year.

We take a look at what could be included - and what measures announced in last year's Queen's Speech have failed to become law.

At the beginning of each parliamentary year, the Queen's Speech - delivered by the Queen, but written by her ministers - lists the bills the government hopes to introduce.

However, not everything announced will become law. Time constraints, fierce opposition or political wrangling can mean some bills are delayed or dropped altogether.

Here are some of the measures which were announced in the 2021 Queen's Speech, but were not passed before time ran out.

In last year's Queen's Speech, ministers said they wanted to implement a ban on importing hunting trophies, fur and foie gras.

However earlier this year government sources told the BBC some ministers had expressed concern the proposals could limit personal choice - and a bill has yet to be published.

The government has insisted it is committed to bringing in the legislation- and has dismissed claims it's planning to drop bans on fur and foie gras.

Counter State Threats Bill

Under the Official Secrets Act, it is a criminal offence for current or former government employees to leak certain types of information, often relating to security and intelligence.

The government proposed increasing prison sentences for leaking information, as well as expanding the types of information covered by the Act.

Ministers also said they would not introduce a "public interest defence" for people charged with the offence - a proposal which had been recommended by the Law Commission.

The measures prompted some criticism, with The Times arguing they posed "the greatest threat to public interest journalism in a generation".

The government's consultation on the proposals closed in July 2021 - and, according to the Home Office, ministers are still analysing the feedback.

Northern Ireland legacy legislation

The government said this bill would deal with "legacy" issues from past conflicts in Northern Ireland by delivering better outcomes for victims and survivors, and ending "the cycle of investigations" of British soldiers.

Instead of pursuing criminal prosecutions relating to the conflict period, the government proposed delivering investigative reports for bereaved families and victims.

The measures were criticised by the Irish government, some Northern Ireland political parties and victims' organisations. Conservative MPs meanwhile have complained about the delays in publishing the bill.

The BBC's Northern Ireland home affairs correspondent Julian O'Neill says the government is still publicly committed to such legislation, but it has been repeatedly delayed and there is currently no sign of any changes to make it more palatable to victims' groups.

At the 2019 election, the Conservatives promised to make it easier to build more homes by reforming the planning system in England - something ministers had hoped to do through this bill.

However, the proposals angered many of the government's own MPs, including former Prime Minister Theresa May - and ministers were forced to put their plans on hold.

More recently there have been reports the legislation will be scrapped altogether, and replaced by a Levelling-Up and Regeneration Bill.

The government also used the Queen's Speech to promise a ban on what it called the "abhorrent" practice of conversion therapy.

According to the NHS England website, conversion therapy refers to trying to change someone's sexual orientation or gender identity.

In April, the government confirmed its commitment to banning therapy for gay or bisexual people - and a senior government source told the BBC the ban would appear in the next Queen's Speech.

However, the ban is now not expected to cover transgender people, with ministers understood to be worried there might be unintended consequences for parents, teachers and therapists helping children experiencing gender identity issues.

One LGBT campaigner called the decision "utterly ludicrous".

Ministers said they wanted to introduce a law stopping public bodies imposing their own boycotts on foreign countries.

They argued the government was responsible for setting foreign policy and that public bodies should not be pursuing their own agendas.

In recent years some councils have introduced their own boycotts, such as of goods from Israel and some newspapers.

While the government hasn't introduced a full ban, it did add an amendment to a pensions bill preventing local authority pension funds from making decisions that conflict with UK foreign or defence policies.

This was a piece of post-Brexit legislation aimed at replacing rules on how the government buys services from the private sector.

Brexit minister Jacob Rees-Mogg said the bill would be introduced in the next parliamentary session "if time allows".

Some bills have been 'carried over' meaning they can continue their progress in the next parliamentary session, rather than being ditched.

The Online Safety Bill - a mammoth piece of legislation regulating online companies - has been carried over.

Other such bills include:

Former No 10 adviser Nikki Da Costa has said the next Parliamentary session could be the "last major legislating session" before the next general election.

Here are some of the bills that could be announced:

Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill: This is rumoured to be the replacement for the aborted Planning Bill (see above). The Daily Mail has reported it will include measures to force landlords to rent out empty shops and retail units.

Brexit Freedoms Bill: Earlier this year, Boris Johnson said he would introduce this bill, arguing it would make it easier to to change EU regulations that were kept in UK law after Brexit.

Northern Ireland Protocol Bill: The Financial Times has reported the government is preparing to publish a draft piece of legislation to override the post-Brexit border arrangements in Northern Ireland. When asked, Boris Johnson did not rule out introducing such a bill.

Energy Bill: Last month, the prime minister unveiled his energy strategy and the government is likely to introduce a bill to implement some of those measures.

British Bill of Rights: Conservatives have long argued that the Human Rights Act - which legally protects certain rights including respect for private life - has put limits on democratic debate. Last month, the Justice Secretary Dominic Raab told the Daily Mail he would replace the Human Rights Act with a British Bill of Rights to strengthen protections for free speech.

Parole: Earlier this year Dominic Raab said he wanted to change the law to empower ministers to overrule Parole Board decisions on releasing "top tier" offenders.

Economic Crime Bill: When Russia invaded Ukraine, the government hurried through legislation to stop allies of Russian president Vladimir Putin laundering money in the UK. At the time Home Secretary Priti Patel said further legislation would follow to seize crypto-assets from criminals.

Channel 4 privatisation: This bill would enable the government to sell off Channel 4 - a move analysts have suggested could raise between £600m and £1.5bn. However, the announcement of the sale was met with some Conservative opposition, meaning the bill could face a difficult journey through Parliament.

National minimum wage: Following the row over P&O's treatment of its workers, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said he wanted to give British ports powers to refuse access to regular ferry services that did not pay their crews the national minimum wage.

Social housing: In November 2020, the government published proposals on social housing including measures to allow renters to hold landlords to account. Housing Secretary Michael Gove has said the government hopes to introduce a bill on this in May or June 2022.

Mental health reform: The government has said it wants to update the 40-year-old Mental Health Act, partly to reducing the disproportionate numbers of people from ethnic minorities who are detained under the Act. It has promised a bill "when parliamentary time allows".