UK PM Johnson set to unveil reform of planning and state aid -FT

FILE PHOTO: People sit at the terrace of a pub in Leadenhall market, as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions ease, in London, Britain, April 16, 2021. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has approved a new legislative programme of more than 25 bills that will implement planning reform and a new state aid regime, as he seeks to flesh out his post-pandemic economic recovery plan, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.

Johnson wants the programme, to be outlined in the Queen's Speech on May 11, to deliver the meat of the Conservative Party's 2019 election manifesto and signal the start of a return to "normality" after COVID-19, the newspaper reported, citing people briefed on the plans.

(Reporting by Aishwarya Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Catherine Evans)