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May drops key manifesto pledges from Queen's speech Theresa May drops key manifesto pledges from Queen's speech
(about 2 hours later)
Theresa May’s minority government has dropped key Tory manifesto pledges, including expanding grammar schools and a free vote on restoring foxhunting, as the Queen announced a pared-down legislative programme focused on delivering Brexit. Theresa May’s minority government has dropped key Tory manifesto pledges, including expanding grammar schools and revisiting the foxhunting ban, as the Queen announced a pared-down legislative programme focused on delivering Brexit.
As she formally opened what the embattled prime minister hopes will be a two-year session of parliament, the Queen set out the government’s intention to deliver the eight bills necessary for Brexit – including legislation allowing Britain to determine its own immigration, customs and trade arrangements. As she formally opened what the embattled prime minister hopes will be a two-year session of parliament, the Queen set out the government’s intention to deliver eight bills necessary for Brexit – including legislation allowing Britain to determine its own immigration, customs and trade arrangements.
The Queen was accompanied by the Prince of Wales in the traditional ceremony in the House of Lords, after Buckingham Palace announced that the Duke of Edinburgh had been admitted to hospital as a precaution on Tuesday night. The Queen was accompanied by the Prince of Wales to the ceremony in the House of Lords, after Buckingham Palace announced the Duke of Edinburgh had been admitted to hospital as a precaution on Tuesday night.
The speech included a series of domestic policies, including sweeping changes to technical education and establishing a new statutory anti-extremism commission. The speech set out the new government’s domestic priorities, including sweeping changes to technical education and beefed-up plans for tackling domestic violence.
But there was no specific counter-terrorism legislation, instead a promise that government would review counter-terrorism laws in the wake of a series of deadly attacks in recent weeks. But a series of controversial proposals set out in the Conservative manifesto were absent from the speech, and from the list of 27 bills the government hopes to pass.
“In the light of the terrorist attacks in Manchester and London, my government’s counter-terrorism strategy will be reviewed to ensure that the police and security services have all the powers they need, and that the length of custodial sentences for terrorism-related offences are sufficient to keep the population safe,” the Queen said. Plans to scrap free school meals, ration winter fuel payments for pensioners, repeal the Fixed-term Parliaments Act, and introduce what became widely known as the “dementia tax” for funding social care have been swept away by the election result.
The speech reiterated May’s promise to hold a public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire, “to ascertain the causes, and ensure that the appropriate lessons are learnt”. The government also appears to be willing to go back to the drawing board on its changes of the school funding formula, after Conservative MPs raised concerns about looming cuts.
The accompanying description of the plans says the inquiry will be held under the Inquiries Act, meaning witnesses can be summoned, and will be chaired by a judge. It promises to consult residents and victims of survivors, as well as the mayor of London and the opposition, on the terms of the inquiry, and to fund legal representation for those affected. May’s spokesman said: “The point is the current funding formula is unfair, we stand by that position. A consultation has taken place and we will reflect on the findings of that consultation before we can bring forward proposals which would carry the support of the whole house.”
The plan says those made homeless by the fire should be rehoused “as close as practically possible” to where they lived before. More widely, the speech proposes a new role of independent public advocate, who would help people affected by future disasters to access help and information. The spokesman was unable to say whether the government would stick to the Conservative manifesto pledge to “make sure no school has its budget cut as a result of the new formula” – a promise that was meant to be funded by scrapping free school lunches.
Grammar schools, one of May’s flagship proposals in the early weeks of her premiership, were not mentioned, despite the Conservative manifesto pledge to consult on opening new selective schools. Several Conservative MPs said they would seek additional assurances. Harrow East MP Bob Blackman, one of several who expressed his concerns before the election, said: “The manifesto promised no school would see their funding cut and I’ll be pressing for that commitment to be honoured.”
Grammar schools were not mentioned at all, despite the manifesto pledge to consult on opening new selective schools.
Instead, the Queen said: “My government will continue to work to ensure that every child has the opportunity to attend a good school and that all schools are fairly funded. My ministers will work to ensure people have the skills they need for the high-skilled, high-wage jobs of the future, including through a major reform of technical education.”Instead, the Queen said: “My government will continue to work to ensure that every child has the opportunity to attend a good school and that all schools are fairly funded. My ministers will work to ensure people have the skills they need for the high-skilled, high-wage jobs of the future, including through a major reform of technical education.”
With different cabinet ministers striking markedly different tones since the election result about what sort of Brexit deal they expect Britain to strike, and May hemmed in on both sides by MPs in her own party, there was little detail about the nature of the immigration, trade or customs policies the government will seek to implement. May’s spokesman made clear that which of the manifesto policies could now be passed would depend on the tough parliamentary arithmetic faced by the new government, which can only carry a majority of MPs with the backing of Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist party.
The government promises to “work to improve social care” and “bring forward proposals for consultation” rather than implementing the highly controversial policy set out in the manifesto. And the promise of a free vote on restoring hunting with hounds, which enraged some young voters, has also gone. “Broadly, it is about governing with humility, and you also have to bear in mind bringing forward measures which can command a majority in parliament,” he said.
Another Conservative campaign pledge to consider a price cap on energy costs has been toned down for the Queen’s speech. It promises to “bring forward measures to help tackle unfair practices in the energy market to help reduce energy bills”. The manifesto promised to commission an independent review into the cost of energy. There was no specific counter-terrorism legislation, instead there was a promise that the government would review counter-terrorism laws in the wake of a series of deadly attacks . The prime minister’s spokesman stressed afterwards that fresh legislation could be brought forward if necessary.
The Queen’s speech briefing paper pledges a green paper will be published to examine “markets which are not working fairly for consumers” and hints at further legislation, saying the government is “prepared to act where necessary”. The speech reiterated May’s promise to hold a public inquiry, led by a judge, into the Grenfell Tower fire, “to ascertain the causes, and ensure that the appropriate lessons are learnt”.
As Black Rod entered the chamber, the veteran Labour MP Dennis Skinner, known for his regular Queen’s speech heckling, shouted: “Get your skates on, the first race’s at half past two.” The remark, which drew loud laughter from MPs, refers to the Queen’s expected attendance at Royal Ascot on Wednesday which has been disrupted by the delay of the Queen’s speech, originally scheduled for Monday. With different cabinet ministers striking markedly different tones since the election about what sort of Brexit deal they expected Britain to strike, and May hemmed in on both sides by MPs in her party, there was little detail about the nature of the immigration, trade or customs policies the government would seek to implement.
The government promised to “work to improve social care” and “bring forward proposals for consultation” rather than implementing the highly controversial policy set out in the manifesto. And the promise of a free vote on restoring hunting with hounds, which enraged some young voters, has also gone.
Another Conservative campaign pledge to consider a price cap on energy costs appeared to have been toned down. The government promised to “bring forward measures to help tackle unfair practices in the energy market to help reduce energy bills”.
The Queen’s speech briefing paper pledged a green paper would be published to examine “markets which are not working fairly for consumers” and hinted at further legislation, saying the government was “prepared to act where necessary”.
As Black Rod entered the chamber, the veteran Labour MP Dennis Skinner, known for his regular Queen’s speech heckling, shouted: “Get your skates on, the first race’s at half past two.” The remark, which drew loud laughter from MPs, referred to the Queen’s expected attendance at Royal Ascot on Wednesday, which was disrupted by the delay of the Queen’s speech originally scheduled for Monday.
The speech also appeared to confirm that Donald Trump’s planned state visit to the UK has been postponed for the foreseeable future.The speech also appeared to confirm that Donald Trump’s planned state visit to the UK has been postponed for the foreseeable future.
The Queen’s speech traditionally lists any upcoming state visits for the parliament, and she mentioned the planned visit in July by the king and queen of Spain. However, there was no mention of Trump coming, following reports he might not want to come if this prompted protests. The Queen’s speech traditionally lists upcoming state visits for the parliament, and she mentioned the planned visit in July by the king and queen of Spain. However, there was no mention of Trump coming, following reports he might not want to come if there was likely to be protests. A spokesman said afterwards: “A firm date has not been fixed, but an invitation was extended and has been accepted.”
The prime minister, who is yet to conclude a deal for the Democratic Unionist party’s 10 MPs to lend ongoing support to her agenda, is keen to show that she can continue to govern, despite seeing her majority wiped out at the 8 June general election. But the broad outlines of the speech – originally scheduled for Monday – were agreed with the DUP last week. May, who is yet to conclude a deal for the DUP to lend ongoing support to her agenda, is keen to show that she can continue to govern despite seeing her majority wiped out at the 8 June general election.
MPs will be asked to support the speech in a vote next week – and opposition parties are likely to table a series of amendments.MPs will be asked to support the speech in a vote next week – and opposition parties are likely to table a series of amendments.
The government plans to press ahead with changing the funding formula for schools, a measure which has been criticised by a number of Conservative MPs.
More than 9,000 schools in England were expected to lose funding and those awarded extra funding have said the gains are likely to be outweighed by real-terms funding cuts. However, after the criticism the Conservative manifesto promised the government would “make sure no school has its budget cut as a result of the new formula”.
The detail in the Queen’s speech commits the government to the changes, saying the data used to allocate funding to local authorities is “over a decade out of date” and changes had been “widely welcomed across the sector” despite widespread criticism from MPs and teaching unions.
“That is why we recently consulted on a national funding formula for schools and why we will deliver on our manifesto commitment to make funding fairer,” the government’s briefing says.
Instead of grammar schools, improving technical education was front and centre of the commitments in the speech, which promised an investment of an extra £500m for England’s technical education system and plans for new institutes of technology.
The Queen said the government would also seek to introduce a series of pro-consumer measures, seen by ministers as both popular with voters and likely to pass the Commons.
This includes a planned travel protection bill, intended to revamp consumer regulations in the era of internet-booked holidays, and a long-promised law to crack down on compensation claims for people claiming whiplash injuries following car crashes.
Another law will ban landlords or agents from charging fees to tenants seeking to rent properties in England – a pledge first made last autumn.
Among planned changes to the legal system is a proposal to allow people charged with some low-level offences to plead guilty and pay a fine online.
There will also be a new data protection bill, as outlined in the Conservative manifesto, giving people the right to ask social media companies to delete certain information about them, as part of wider measures to guard people’s data online.