Yesterday, King Charles III delivered the first King's Speech of the newly-elected Labour Government, outlining a series of legislative priorities for both parliament and the government during the coming term. Key priorities among them were proposals aimed at promoting economic growth and sustainability across the United Kingdom.

Many of these measures pertain to areas of policy reserved to the UK Government. However, several policy announcements and commitments were made that will benefit Scotland and its economic community, such as:

• A Great British Energy Bill, which will establish a new state-owned energy investment and generation company, GB Energy;
• A National Wealth Fund Bill, which aims to invest £7.3 billion in infrastructure and green industry during the lifetime of this parliament and government, as promised in Labour's election manifesto;
• An Employment Rights Bill, which will modernise and reform various areas of UK employment law, including the use of "zero-hours contracts" and other workers' rights; and
• A Pensions Schemes Bill, designed to introduce new rules and requirements for private-sector pension schemes.

Inverclyde Chamber of Commerce is optimistic about the potential benefits of these proposed measures once they are enacted. We look forward to working with our members to advance opportunities for economic growth, prosperity, and employment across Inverclyde