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Queen's Speech 2017: May promises 'humility' Queen's Speech: Brexit bills dominate government agenda
(35 minutes later)
Prime Minister Theresa May has promised to work with "humility and resolve" as the government prepares to outline its legislative programme later. A host of proposed new laws designed to prepare the UK for a "smooth and orderly" departure from the EU have been announced in the Queen's Speech.
Brexit is expected to dominate the Queen's Speech, which will cover a two-year period instead of one. Of 24 bills, eight relate to Brexit and its implications for key industries.
It is also expected to include measures on domestic violence and car insurance. As well as a bill to convert EU rules into UK law, there are measures on trade, customs, immigration, fisheries, agriculture, nuclear and sanctions.
The Conservatives are still trying to agree terms with the Democratic Unionists to secure their support for Mrs May's minority government. But other key manifesto plans have either been axed or delayed after the Conservatives lost their majority.
It means some manifesto pledges are likely to be scaled back or scrapped. The main non-Brexit proposals include:
Sources from the DUP have warned that the party cannot be "taken for granted", although it is expected to back the Queen's Speech when MPs vote on it next week. There was no mention of US President Donald Trump's proposed state visit to the UK later this year, appearing to confirm suggestions it has been delayed.
The speech is written by the government but read by the Queen at the State Opening of Parliament. Prime Minister Theresa May has promised to work with "humility and resolve" after failing to win the general election outright while senior ministers have said they are "getting on with the job" amid continuing discussions with the DUP about a deal to enable the Tories to govern.
It is the main ceremonial event of the Parliamentary calendar - but this year's will look different, with much of the usual formalities dispensed with and the Queen wearing "day dress" instead of her usual robes. The Queen announced the government's legislative programme for the next two years at the State Opening of Parliament.
On Wednesday morning Buckingham Palace announced that the Duke of Edinburgh had been admitted to hospital on Tuesday evening as a "precautionary measure" for treatment of an infection from a pre-existing condition. She was accompanied by the Prince of Wales, rather than the Duke of Edinburgh, after Prince Philip was admitted to hospital on Tuesday night.
The speech will be delivered at 11:30 BST and will be covered live on BBC One, Radio 5 live and online. MPs will begin debating its contents in the afternoon. Buckingham Palace said it was a "precautionary measure" for treatment of an infection arising from a pre-existing condition.
With Brexit talks now under way, the government is expected to set out the laws needed to leave the EU - irrespective of the final deal agreed with Brussels.
At the heart of this is the so-called Great Repeal Bill - which will repeal the 1972 European Communities Act and end the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice.
It will also copy existing EU legislation to the UK statute book, and Parliament will decide which bits to retain.
A dressed-down Queen's SpeechA dressed-down Queen's Speech
Other areas where Brexit-related laws are expected include immigration, customs and agriculture. The main ceremonial event of the Parliamentary calendar already had a different feel this year, with much of the usual formalities dispensed with and the Queen wearing "day dress" instead of her usual robes.
With Brexit talks now under way, the government has set out the laws needed to leave the EU - irrespective of the final deal agreed with Brussels.
At the heart of this is the so-called Great Repeal Bill - which will repeal the 1972 European Communities Act and end the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice. It will also copy existing EU legislation to the UK statute book, and Parliament will decide which bits to retain.
The government says "wherever practical the same rules and and laws will apply after exit, therefore maximising certainty for individuals and businesses".
The bill would give the UK Parliament temporary authority to amend laws that do not "operate appropriately" after Brexit while existing decision-making powers devolved to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will be maintained pending further discussion on "lasting common frameworks".
As an indication of the scale of change which Brexit will bring, seven separate pieces of legislation are proposed to anticipate the end of EU jurisdiction and introduce national policies in key sectors.
On immigration, a bill will legislate for the end of free movement from the EU and make the status of EU nationals and family members subject to UK law. Although there are no specific details about a new system, ministers say they will be able to "control" numbers while attracting the "brightest and the best".
A Fisheries bill will allow the UK to take on responsibility for "access to fisheries and management of its waters" while an Agriculture Bill will "provide stability" for farmers and ensure an "effective system" of support to replace the Common Agricultural Policy.
A new nuclear safeguards regime will be required after the UK leaves the EU and its nuclear agency Euratom, with new powers for the Office for Nuclear regulation.
Other measures will allow for a standalone domestic customs regime, giving the UK the scope to make changes to VAT and excises rates currently determined by the EU, to pave the way for an "independent trade policy" and to enable the UK to implement non-UN sanctions on its own or in conjunction with allies.
The government has cancelled next year's Queen's Speech, so this one will cover a two-year period to give MPs more time to debate all the Brexit legislation.The government has cancelled next year's Queen's Speech, so this one will cover a two-year period to give MPs more time to debate all the Brexit legislation.
Mrs May said the speech would be about "grasping the opportunities that lie ahead for the United Kingdom as we leave the European Union". In the preface to the Queen's Speech, Mrs May said the programme was all about "grasping the opportunities that lie ahead for the UK as we leave the EU". While pledging to consult and listen to ensure the final deal had the "maximum support possible", she said she was determined to "see Brexit through".
She said: "The election result was not the one I hoped for, but this government will respond with humility and resolve to the message the electorate sent. The remaining 16 bills in the Queen's Speech are a mixture of new proposals and legislation which has been carried over from the last Parliament, which was cut short by the snap election.
"We will work hard every day to gain the trust and confidence of the British people, making their priorities our priorities." Among proposals that will not require immediate legislation, the government is to review its counter-terrorism strategy in the wake of recent attacks in London and Manchester and establish a new Commission for Countering Extremism to "stamp out ideology in all its forms".
First the government needs to get a Brexit deal that "commands maximum public support", she said. In response to the Grenfell fire, a new role of independent public advocate will be created to represent bereaved families in the aftermath of disasters while a Civil Disaster Reaction Taskforce could be created to increase national resilience.
"While this will be a government that consults and listens, we are clear that we are going to see Brexit through, working with Parliament, business, the devolved administrations and others to ensure a smooth and orderly withdrawal." While there are no proposed new laws on health and education, a review of mental health laws is planned while a "digital charter" will seek to boost online safety and digital commerce.
Ministers have said some parts of the Conservative manifesto would have to be "pruned" following the election result. Ministers have denied that, Brexit apart, it is a "thin" programme although large parts of the Tory manifesto have been "pruned" following the election result.
These could include controversial plans to axe the winter fuel allowance for well-off pensioners and expanding grammar schools while other proposals, such as a cap on energy bills, will be put out to consultation. Controversial plans to axe the winter fuel allowance for well-off pensioners, scrap the triple lock on pensions and expand grammar schools have been dropped while other proposals, such as a cap on energy bills and reforms to social care funding, will be put out to consultation.
'Not legitimate' On social care, ministers will explore options to "put the social care system on a more secure financial footing", including a potential cap on overall care costs.
First Secretary of State Damian Green, a close ally of Theresa May, rejected claims controversial reforms to adult social care funding had been abandoned totally, saying there would be a consultation, prior to legislation, as "getting the details right is difficult and important". Labour and the Liberal Democrats are putting forward alternative versions of the Queen's Speech, suggesting the Conservatives have no mandate to govern after failing to win an overall majority.
Mr Green told BBC Radio 4's Today this was not a "thin" Queen's Speech since it included a wealth of non-Brexit bills, including a digital charter to boost online safety and legislation on the next phase of the HS2 high-speed rail line.
Although the Conservatives had fallen short of a majority, he said it was "our duty to present our legislative programme to the House of Commons and then to get on with governing".
Other manifesto pledges that will feature include:
Labour and the Liberal Democrats each plan to put forward alternative versions of the Queen's Speech.
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said the Conservatives had "no right to govern", having "junked their manifesto".
"They have got the right to bring forward their own programme, but I don't believe, actually, that they are legitimate in the sense that they have got a mandate that they asked for," he told Today.
The Lib Dems said their version would call for continued membership of the EU single market and customs union after Brexit.
Party leader Tim Farron said: "This is a government with no clue, no direction and no mandate. The Conservatives may be scaling back on their domestic agenda now that they have no majority to deliver it."
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