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Cameron and Clegg promise 'bold' final Queen's Speech Cameron and Clegg unveil coalition's 'bold' finale
(35 minutes later)
David Cameron and Nick Clegg have said their final Queen's Speech before the general election will be "unashamedly pro-work and pro-business". David Cameron and Nick Clegg have sought to present a united front as they set out their plans for the coalition's final year in power.
The Queen will announce the laws the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition hopes to pass before the May 2015 poll when she opens Parliament on Wednesday. Pensions took centre stage in an 11 bill programme, with changes to annuities and workplace schemes.
Ministers say changes to annuities and funding of workplace pensions will show the coalition's continuing "boldness". Voters will also get limited powers to boot out misbehaving MPs and fracking firms will get new drilling rights.
Proposals to "recall" failed MPs are also expected to be among bills tabled. Labour sources said it was "staggering" that the NHS and immigration were not mentioned in the Queen's Speech.
The last session of the current five-year Parliament is expected to last until next April, with a general election scheduled to take place on 7 May 2015. Among the measures announced were:
Ministers say the measures to be announced on Wednesday will mark a "significant step" in helping to embed the economic recovery and in promoting work, enterprise and opportunity. The Queen presided over the state opening of Parliament for the 63rd time, amid the traditional pomp and ceremony.
'Getting on' "My government's legislative programme will continue to deliver on its long-term plan to build a stronger economy and a fairer society," she said in a speech written for her by ministers.
They will also seek to refute opposition claims that the coalition has run out of steam and that the months leading up to the election will be dominated by wrangling and attempts by the coalition partners to put distance between themselves ahead of May's poll. "To strengthen the economy and provide stability and security, my ministers will continue to reduce the country's deficit, helping to ensure that mortgage and interest rates remain low."
In a ceremony rich with historic pomp and pageantry, the Queen will announce the government's legislative programme for the year ahead just before 11:40 BST. 'Unashamedly pro-work'
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh are travelling the short distance from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster. The planned legislation will be debated by MPs in the Commons on Wednesday afternoon.
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall have already arrived. Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg have hit back at Labour's claims that the coalition has run out of steam and that the months leading up to next May's general election will be dominated by Conservative and Lib Dem wrangling as the two parties seek to differentiate themselves in the minds of voters.
Among the measures expected to feature in the Queen's Speech are: In a joint statement issued with the Queen's Speech, the prime minister and his deputy said the coalition was "still taking bold steps" to "take Britain forward to a brighter future".
The prime minister and his deputy said the emphasis of the programme would be helping those "who want to get on in life". "We may be two parties, with two different philosophies but we understand one thing," they added.
"We may be two parties, with two different philosophies but we understand one thing," they said in a joint statement.
"Countries rise when their people rise. So this Queen's Speech is unashamedly pro-work, pro-business and pro-aspiration.""Countries rise when their people rise. So this Queen's Speech is unashamedly pro-work, pro-business and pro-aspiration."
The fracking bill has prompted a protest by Greenpeace activists, who say they have erected a fence around Mr Cameron's Oxfordshire home and put up a sign saying: "We apologise for any inconvenience we may cause while we frack under your home". Speculation ahead of the speech that it could include a fresh crackdown on immigration, in the wake of UKIP's success in the European and local elections, proved groundless.
But it did include a renewed commitment to the Help to Buy scheme, following criticism from the European Commission and others that it is fuelling an unsustainable housing boom. The speech also repeated David Cameron's commitment to promote reform of the European Union "including a stronger role for member states and national parliaments".
Plans to support the development of shale gas by the "fracking" process are among the most controversial measures included in the Speech.
BBC experts' viewsBBC experts' views
"When Her Majesty reads out what is, in effect, Parliament's "to do list" she's expected to quote her government's oft repeated promise to continue with its "long-term plan" - which may well produce a groan or two from some opposition MPs and peers. David Cameron and Nick Clegg are desperate to answer the charge that they have run out of ideas which their two parties can sign up to and are simply running down the clock until polling day." Read Nick Robinson's full preview."When Her Majesty reads out what is, in effect, Parliament's "to do list" she's expected to quote her government's oft repeated promise to continue with its "long-term plan" - which may well produce a groan or two from some opposition MPs and peers. David Cameron and Nick Clegg are desperate to answer the charge that they have run out of ideas which their two parties can sign up to and are simply running down the clock until polling day." Read Nick Robinson's full preview.
"As you watch the state opening of parliament, remember it is one of the strongest ceremonial demonstrations of our liberty that we have. Democracy is not just the freedom to vote out a government we dislike; it is also the freedom not to be ruled by an autocratic monarch chosen by God. It is what our ancestors fought over in the civil war. And it is a right that we are reminded of every year." James Landale on how the Queen's Speech show us who isn't boss."As you watch the state opening of parliament, remember it is one of the strongest ceremonial demonstrations of our liberty that we have. Democracy is not just the freedom to vote out a government we dislike; it is also the freedom not to be ruled by an autocratic monarch chosen by God. It is what our ancestors fought over in the civil war. And it is a right that we are reminded of every year." James Landale on how the Queen's Speech show us who isn't boss.
Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg said the legislative programme was testament to the coalition's longevity and the fact it was still capable of "taking bold steps". Greenpeace activists, who say the Infrastructure Bill will clear the way for fracking firms to drill under people's land and property without their permission, staged a protest at David Cameron's Oxfordshire home.
They say the pension changes would provide "freedom and security in retirement", suggesting they would prove every bit as radical as reforms to schools and welfare since 2010 in terms of empowering people. The activists erected security fencing around the prime minister's cottage in the Cotswold hamlet of Dean and put up a sign saying: "We apologise for any inconvenience we may cause while we frack under your home".
Campaigners have welcomed more innovation in pensions provision but warned that the changes are not risk-free and said employees and employers must be helped to make informed choices. Plans to introduce a power of recall for misbehaving MPs could also spark controversy. The idea was promised in the 2010 coalition agreement but was thought to have been dropped after rows between senior Conservative and Lib Dem ministers.
Labour leader Ed Miliband called for a Queen's Speech which "signals a new direction for Britain, not one which offers more of the same". Under the proposed legislation, a recall will only be triggered if MPs are given jail sentences of less than 12 months or if the House of Commons resolves that they have engaged in "serious wrongdoing". Voters would then have to collect the signatures of 10% of constituents to force a by-election.
"We need action, we need answers, we need a programme for government equal to the scale of the challenge our country faces," he said. "We would have a Queen's Speech with legislation which would make work pay, reform our banks, freeze energy bills and build homes again in Britain." This is unlikely to satisfy campaigners such as Tory backbencher Zac Goldsmith, who have argued that it should be easier for constituents to get rid of errant MPs.
Labour would support an anti-slavery bill if, as expected, it is among the measures announced, Angela Eagle, shadow leader of the House of Commons, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. The state opening of Parliament, one of the highlights of the Westminster calendar, used to take place in the autumn but was moved to the early summer by the coalition government.
But on the Queen's Speech as a whole, she added: "Just because the government announces it's a bold programme, does not mean actually that it is".
The State Opening of Parliament, one of the highlights of the Westminster calendar, used to take place in the autumn but was moved to the early summer by the coalition government.
With Parliament taking a six-week summer recess from July and rising for a further five weeks for the party conference season in September, parliamentary time available to agree new legislation will be limited.With Parliament taking a six-week summer recess from July and rising for a further five weeks for the party conference season in September, parliamentary time available to agree new legislation will be limited.
In addition, six bills - including one authorising the building of a new high-speed rail line between London and the West Midlands - are being carried over from the last session.In addition, six bills - including one authorising the building of a new high-speed rail line between London and the West Midlands - are being carried over from the last session.
Business groups urged the government not to over-legislate and to focus on maximising the benefits of the upturn in the economy. There are also three draft bills, setting out legislation to improve compensation for people whose property has been damaged in riots, protect charities from abuse and improve the governance of national parks in England.
"Ministers' attention should be focused firmly on delivering existing commitments - from deregulation to infrastructure - rather than introduce a raft of new bills that distract their attention from economic growth," said Adam Marshall, director of policy at the British Chambers of Commerce.
The Green Party of England and Wales, meanwhile, has called for an end for all public subsidies of fossil fuels, a pay cap for executives and limiting rent increases for tenants to inflation.