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Queen to set out Brown programme Brown draws election battle lines
(20 minutes later)
The Queen has arrived at Parliament as she prepares to set out Gordon Brown's final programme of planned laws ahead of the general election. Gordon Brown has put economic recovery at the heart of his final set of plans before the next general election.
It is expected to put into law a pledge to halve the budget deficit within four years and pledge to stop "reckless" bankers from getting bonuses. Key measures in the Queen's Speech include a crackdown on excesses in the City and a legal obligation to halve the budget deficit within four years.
Other measures will include free social care for the most needy pensioners. There will also be free social care for the neediest pensioners in England.
The Tories and Lib Dems say most pledges in the speech will not become law, with an election due by June 2010. But with an election due by June, the opposition say few of the planned bills will have time to become law and say it is effectively a Labour manifesto.
Conservative leader David Cameron dismissed the speech as a "political exercise" and a "waste of time". BBC Political Editor Nick Robinson said the speech signalled the start of the general election campaign, with Business Secretary Lord Mandelson and other senior ministers even holding an "election-style news conference" at Labour Party HQ, ahead of it.
"This Queen's Speech is not about the good of the country, this Queen's Speech is going to be about trying to save the Labour Party. It's a whole lot of bills just legislating some intent but not actually doing anything." 'Reckless' risks
'Not electioneering' Unveiling the programme in the House of Lords, the Queen said: "My government's overriding priority is to ensure sustained growth to deliver a fair and prosperous economy for families and businesses, as the British economy recovers from the global economic downturn.
But Business Secretary Lord Mandelson told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The key message is the same as with every Queen's Speech, this is about governing, it's not about electioneering." PLANNED NEW LAWS Fiscal Responsibility Bill - put into law promise to halve deficitFinancial Services and Business Bill - clamp down on bonuses for bankers taking too many risksThe Flood and Water Management Bill - give councils powers to prevent floodsSocial Care Bill - neediest elderly to get home carePolicing, Crime and Private Security Bill - DNA of more sex offenders added to databaseEnergy Bill - give Ofgem more powers to act on behalf of customers over pricesBribery Bill - make it offence to bribe foreign officials and for business to fail to prevent briberyDigital Economy Bill - set up fund to bring in universal broadband by 2012Cluster Munitions Prohibition Bill - ratify international ban on cluster bombs class="" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/nickrobinson/">Nick Robinson's Newslog class="" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/markdarcy/">Mark D'Arcy: Historical parallels class="" href="http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?forumID=7248">Send us your comments
He added: "It will be for the public to judge whether they believe these policies are relevant, achievable and affordable." "Through active employment and training programmes, restructuring the financial sector, strengthening the national infrastructure and providing responsible investment, my government will foster growth and employment."
EXPECTED NEW MEASURES Fiscal Responsibility Bill - put into law promise to halve deficitFinancial Services and Business Bill - clamp down on bonuses for bankers taking too many risksThe Flood and Water Management Bill - give councils powers to prevent floodsSocial Care Bill - neediest elderly to get home carePolicing, Crime and Private Security Bill - DNA of more sex offenders added to databaseEnergy Bill - give Ofgem more powers to keep prices downBribery Bill - make it offence to bribe foreign officials and for business to fail to prevent briberyDigital Economy Bill - set up fund to bring in universal broadband by 2012Cluster Munitions Prohibition Bill - ratify international ban on cluster bombs class="" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/nickrobinson/">Nick Robinson's Newslog class="" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/markdarcy/">Mark D'Arcy: Historical parallels class="" href="http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?forumID=7248">Send us your comments It is a slimmer programme than normal, with 13 bills and two draft bills, but with an expected 70 to 80 days of parliamentary business remaining before Mr Brown calls a general election, the government will still be in a race against time to get all of its programme through.
Asked why the Fiscal Responsibility Bill, which would enshrine in law its pledge to halve the budget deficit within four years, did not spell out how that would be achieved, Lord Mandelson said the details would be in next month's pre-Budget report. Planned laws include a Financial Services and Business Bill to prevent bankers who take "reckless" risks from getting bonuses and a Fiscal Responsibility Bill, aimed at halving the budget deficit - although the full details of how this will work will be spelled out in next month's pre-Budget report.
The UK, which now has overall debt of £825bn, is set to borrow a record £175bn over the next two years. Meanwhile, 400,000 elderly people will be promised help with care in their own homes, as part of the Social Care Bill, which applies to England only.
Commons leader Harriet Harman has said "most" of the proposed bills - which also include legal guarantees for the health service and education - will be passed before the next election. The government sees this policy, which will cost £670m a year and be funded from savings elsewhere in the NHS budget, as the first step towards a national care service - and a key election dividing line with the Conservatives, who are proposing an optional £8,000 one-off payment on retirement to cover future care costs.
But Lord Strathclyde, the shadow leader of the House of Lords, told the Guardian that Tory peers were prepared to obstruct many of the proposals. The Queen's Speech also includes the controversial Equality Bill, which would impose a duty across the public sector in England, Scotland and Wales "to narrow the gap between rich and poor" - and force businesses employing more than 250 people to reveal gender pay differences.
The Queen's Speech, written by the government but delivered by the monarch, accompanied by much pomp and ceremony, is part of the State Opening of Parliament - the beginning of the parliamentary year. 'Waste of time'
Bankers' bonuses A Health Bill, which would have introduced maximum waiting times for some NHS surgery and consultations, has been left out of the programme, but the changes will be brought in through secondary legislation amending the new NHS constitution.
It outlines the legislative programme for the next 12 months - or, in this case, until Parliament dissolves for the next general election. The government plans to use a new piece of legislation to restate its aspiration to abolish child poverty by 2020 - despite missing its targets in this area so far.
The Queen's Speech is also set to include a Financial Services and Business Bill, which would give the Financial Services Authority more power to ban the bonuses of bankers who take "reckless" and "excessive" risks.
WHAT IS THE QUEEN'S SPEECH? Written by the government and delivered by the reigning monarch, it sets out the legislative agenda for the year ahead and is the centrepiece of the state opening of Parliament The Queen normally attends in person at the state opening of Parliament and delivers the speech from the grand throne in the House of Lords Doesn't include everything- the Budget and pre-Budget report are also increasingly used to set out strategy and announce new measuresYou can watch all the Queen's speech day action from Parliament on the BBC's Democracy Live website. BBC Democracy Live What is the Queen's Speech?WHAT IS THE QUEEN'S SPEECH? Written by the government and delivered by the reigning monarch, it sets out the legislative agenda for the year ahead and is the centrepiece of the state opening of Parliament The Queen normally attends in person at the state opening of Parliament and delivers the speech from the grand throne in the House of Lords Doesn't include everything- the Budget and pre-Budget report are also increasingly used to set out strategy and announce new measuresYou can watch all the Queen's speech day action from Parliament on the BBC's Democracy Live website. BBC Democracy Live What is the Queen's Speech?
The Flood and Water Management Bill, following the disasters of summer 2007, would give local authorities the lead responsibility for managing the risk of future flooding. The Flood and Water Management Bill, following the disasters of summer 2007, would give local authorities in England and Wales the lead responsibility for managing the risk of future flooding.
Meanwhile, elderly people with the most desperate needs are likely to be promised free care in their own homes, as part of the Social Care Bill. There is also a bill to cut down on the paperwork police officers have to fill in when carrying out stop and search operations, in England and Wales, and to extend the collection of DNA from sex offenders.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, the prime minister said the social care system was not "fit for purpose" and must be reformed to give people more security and dignity in old age. The crime and security bill also includes compulsory licences for wheelclampers and, following the deaths of several children, compulsory safe storage of air guns.
But Niall Dickson, chief executive of the King's Fund charity, told the BBC the proposals cut across other plans under consideration which had been years in the making: "So there must be a question of whether this is about political expediency or really trying to reform the social care system." Commons leader Harriet Harman has said "most" of the proposed bills will be passed before the next election.
There is also expected to be a Policing, Crime and Private Security Bill, requiring sexual or serious offenders convicted before 2004 or convicted abroad to add their details to the DNA database. But Conservative leader David Cameron dismissed the speech as a "political exercise" and a "waste of time".
An Improving Schools and Safeguarding Children Bill would replace school league tables in England with school report cards and end national literacy and numeracy strategies. He told BBC News: "This Queen's Speech is not about the good of the country, this Queen's Speech is going to be about trying to save the Labour Party. It's a whole lot of bills just legislating some intent but not actually doing anything."
'Stop this charade' Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has called for the Queen's Speech to be cancelled so that MPs could concentrate on cleaning-up their expenses and reforming the political system.
Meanwhile, an Energy Bill is expected to give the regulator Ofgem more power to intervene to force down utility prices. He said: "There is a strong case to say 'Let's stop this charade, it's based on a complete fiction', get the government to focus on the things that really matter - which are nothing to do with legislation."
A maximum of 70 to 80 days of parliamentary business are expected before Prime Minister Gordon Brown calls the next general election. But Lord Mandelson rejected accusations that the government was using the Queen's Speech for party political ends, saying: "The key message is the same as with every Queen's Speech, this is about governing, it's not about electioneering."
The election must take place by 3 June but many pundits say 6 May, when local elections are held in England, is the most likely date.
Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg told the BBC it was a "complete fiction" to believe the package would become law with an election so close.
He said the government should spend "the few weeks remaining to them just to clean up the mess left after the expenses scandal and hand on a cleaner, more transparent parliament".