Today’s King’s Speech landed at a moment when the economic outlook is being shaped as much by geopolitics as domestic policy and yet whatever the wider political backdrop, the construction elements of this programme look like they would command broad support across the industry.

The continuing uncertainty around the Middle East is already feeding through to the market with volatility and ongoing challenges for many clients and delivery teams. It would therefore seem that the most important question for the built environment is this: will this legislative programme help the industry deliver at pace and with fewer of the frictions that amplify risk?