Keir Starmer's plans for Britain “fiddle with everything” but will “fix nothing”, experts have warned.
In a brutal takedown of 40 new Bills unveiled in the King's Speech they said the government should “ditch the vacuous virtue signalling” and focus on improving frontline services.
The savage response came minutes after the monarch outlined Labour's legislative programme, with the Prime Minister vowing to deliver “real change that transforms lives”.
The measures include a major overhaul of the planning system, renationalising the railways, a Net Zero push, a truancy crackdown and bringing Channel smuggling gangs under terror laws.
Amid the usual pomp and ceremony, the King said ministers will go ahead with controversial class-war plans to impose VAT on private school fees.
The ban on current 15-year-olds ever buying cigarettes is being revived, after the previous attempt was lost when Rishi Sunak called the election.
However, Labor is already facing a backlash over weakening protections for the “green belt” and stripping communities of rights to object to construction.
Businesses have also voiced concerns about moves to roll back curbs on unions and give workers “default” rights to flexible working “from day one”.
Sir Keir has also confirmed that the Rwanda deportation scheme is being axed, despite hopes it was already having a deterrent effect.
Responding to the King's Speech, John O'Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: “Taxpayers will be deeply disappointed by a legislative program that fiddles with everything while fixing nothing.
“With frontline services on their knees and the tax burden heading to a record high, Brits were expecting bold measures to deal with the genuine crises at the government's door. Yet despite positive promises on planning, this agenda is dominated by low-priority issues and nakedly disastrous proposals, from a race equality bill to banning smoking, a football regulator and VAT on private schools.
“The government should ditch the vacuous virtue signaling and focus on improving frontline services.”
In his introduction to the speech, Sir Keir said he wanted to “unite the country in our shared mission of national renewal”.
He insisted “the era of politics as performance and self-interest above service is over” – saying delivery was the only way to counter the “snake oil charm of populism”.
“The fight for trust is the battle that defines our political era,” he said.
“It is only by serving the interests of working people, and delivering real change that transforms lives, that we can begin to restore people's faith that politics can be a force for good.
“Rebuilding our country will not happen overnight.
“The challenges we face require determined, patient work and serious solutions, rather than the temptation of the easy answer.
“The snake oil charm of populism may sound seductive, but it drives us into the dead end of further division and greater disappointment.
“This King's Speech sets out a clear destination for our country.”
Sir Keir said he would “reform the planning rules to build the homes and infrastructure the country desperately needs.”
“We will level up workers' rights, so every person has security, respect and dignity at work; we will create a new industrial strategy and invest in cleaner, cheaper British energy; and we will harness the power of artificial intelligence as we look to strengthen safety frameworks,” he said.
Labour's manifesto pledged to kick-start the economy and generate the highest growth in the G7 by the end of this Parliament.
But the scale of the challenge was underlined yesterday when the International Monetary Fund left its UK growth forecast unchanged, predicting growth of 1.5 per cent next year.
And although figures today showed inflation coming in unchanged at 2 percent last month, they were not as good as economists had hoped – potentially pushing back the prospects of interest rate cuts beyond August.