This article is from the source 'independent' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/queens-speech-delay-21-june-therea-may-dup-deal-minority-government-conservatives-tory-northern-a7791086.html
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Queen's speech delayed to 21 June as Theresa May firms up minority government deal with DUP | Queen's speech delayed to 21 June as Theresa May firms up minority government deal with DUP |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The Government has finally announced when the Queen's Speech setting out Theresa May's legislative agenda will take place - two days later than it should have. | |
| The event had originally been due on Monday, but amid the chaos that followed the election, Downing Street refused to confirm when it would happen. | |
| The Leader of the House of Commons Andrea Leadsom announced in Parliament that it will now take place on Wednesday next week, indicating that Ms May has sealed a deal with Northern Irish unionists to prop up her Government. | |
| In a statement, Ms Leadsom said: "The Government has agreed with Buckingham Palace that the State Opening of Parliament will take place on 21 June 2017." | In a statement, Ms Leadsom said: "The Government has agreed with Buckingham Palace that the State Opening of Parliament will take place on 21 June 2017." |
| The Queen's Speech is effectively a list of all the laws that a government wants to pass over the course of a parliament and once it is read out by the monarch, is voted upon in the House of Commons. | |
| Passing the vote is the most basic test of any administration's credibility. But due to Ms May's failure to secure a Tory majority, it was unclear the Conservatives could win the vote to enshrine her agenda in law. | |
| That ministers have now confirmed the date, signals they believe they can win a vote, and therefore must have a solid pledge of support that the Northern Irish DUP MPs will back Ms May in the Commons. | |
| The announcement also saves Ms May from the embarrassment of having to delay Brexit talks too much, after previously indicating they would also begin on June 19. | |
| It would also have been humiliating for the Prime Minister to have to turn up to the European Council meeting on June 22 without having any legislative agenda for Brexit. | |
| But the prospect of a deal with the DUP, now raises further questions for the Government's approach to power sharing in Northern Ireland. | |
| Ms May is due to meet Sinn Fein and other parties in Downing Street today to discuss the implications, after warnings from ex-Tory leader Sir John Major that a DUP deal could risk peace. | |
| Sir John highlighted the danger of "hard men still there, lurking in the corners of communities deciding they wish to return to some sort of violence". | |
| He added: "We need to do everything we conceivably can to ensure that doesn’t happen – and that does require an impartial British government." |