Queen’s Speech: Levelling Up Bill will attempt to put flesh on Boris Johnson’s troubled pledge

Key legislation will extend devolution deals, bring empty premises back into use and allow al fresco dining

The legislation will create a legal duty to report on Michael Gove’s 12 ‘levelling up missions’ (AFP via Getty Images)

A Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill will attempt to finally put flesh on Boris Johnson’s troubled promise to revive struggling areas, widely criticised as vacuous.

The wide-ranging legislation will do everything from extending devolution deals to granting new powers to bring empty premises back into use and allowing more al fresco dining.

But at its heart will be a legal duty on the government to produce an annual progress report on the 12 “levelling up missions”, set out in Michael Gove’s plans earlier this year.