The Commons leader, Jacob Rees-Mogg, has written to his cabinet colleagues calling for “bold and ambitious” bills for the upcoming Queen’s speech. No 10 said it wanted to look “beyond” the Covid-19 pandemic and the prime minister would “not be blown off course” from delivering his manifesto commitments. In his letter Rees-Mogg said it would be “important to be ready to make the most of the opportunities” after the transition period with the European Union ends on 31 December. Government sources said the next legislative agenda was likely to repeal the fixed-term parliament act, which wrote five-year election cycles into law in 2011. The act was seen as a major hurdle to the prime minister’s bid for a snap election in the wrangle in 2019 over the withdrawal agreement with Brussels. He accused MPs of operating a “zombie parliament” after they refused to give him the two-thirds majority required by the act for his desired trip to the polls. Johnson eventually secured the numbers after the Liberal Democrats and the SNP agreed to support an election, paving the way for the first December vote in a century. Rees-Mogg has written to colleagues: “It is now time to start looking at HM government’s plans for the second session. “It is obviously important to continue to deliver the prime minister’s domestic priorities and on our manifesto commitments. “These include tackling crime, ensuring the most serious criminals get the time in prison they deserve, controlling our borders, levelling up across the country by investing in infrastructure and transforming the provision of skills and strengthening our public services. “It is also important to be ready to make the most of the opportunities which will arise when we regain our economic and political independence at the end of the transition period.” As well as scrapping fixed elections, reforms to the planning system are expected to be brought forward in the next Queen’s speech. Proposals from the housing secretary, Robert Jenrick, would fast-track home extensions and see land designated for development in a bid to provide more houses. A criminal justice bill promising harsher sentences for violent crimes and an animal welfare bill containing a pledge of tougher sentences for animal cruelty and outlawing trophy hunting are also expected. A No 10 spokesman said: “We know that everyone is rightly focused on Covid right now and the government is working flat out to try and suppress the virus whilst keeping the economy open. “But we’ve also got to think beyond the here and now and make sure that we are working to deliver our manifesto promises. We were elected to get Brexit done and unleash Britain’s potential. “The prime minister has been clear that we will not be blown off course in our plans to build back better and that’s just what our next Queen’s speech will do.”