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Queen's speech: national living wage increase could be shelved if economy falters, government suggests – live news Queen's speech: national living wage increase could be shelved if economy falters, government suggests – live news
(32 minutes later)
Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen, including the Queen’s speech and Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn speaking in the subsequent Commons debateRolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen, including the Queen’s speech and Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn speaking in the subsequent Commons debate
Corbyn says the Queen’s speech contains nothing of substance to deal with the climate emergency.
He says many of the big polluters fund the Tories.
Corbyn says Labour will oppose the government’s attempt to limit the right of transport workers to go on strike. He claims the proposals on this would contravene the International Labour Organization conventions.
Corbyn asks Johnson to deny reports that he wants to merge the Department for International Development. He says setting up DfID was a proud Labour achievement.
Turning to Brexit, Corbyn says Johnson has resurrected the threat of a no-deal Brexit, and included it in his bill.
Johnson’s priority is a toxic trade deal with Donald Trump, he says. He says the British do not want chlorinated chicken. Under Johnson, trade talks could go on for years, Corbyn says.
Back in the Commons Jeremy Corbyn is now on to the serious substance of his speech.
He says Labour won the argument on austerity.
And he mocks the proposal for an NHS funding bill. He says the last Labour government did not need to pass legislation to force itself to invest in the NHS.
He criticises Boris Johnson’s claim to be delivering 50,000 new nurses and 40 new hospitals. There are only 30,000 new nurses, he says, and only six new hospitals.
And, referring to what Johnson said about social care when he took office, Corbyn says Johnson’s claim to have a plan (see 1.45pm) was just an empty promise.
And this is from MLex’s Matthew Holehouse.
Faisal Islam, the BBC’s economics editor, has more on the new version of the EU withdrawal agreement bill.
Jeremy Corbyn is speaking now in the debate.
He starts with tributes to the backbenchers who proposed and seconded the loyal address.
The government has published the EU (withdrawal agreement) bill. It runs to 101 pages and you can read it here (pdf).
This is from Graeme Cowie, a Commons clerk.
No 10 had already announced that the clause allowing the transition to be extended would be removed. And we knew the workers’ rights protections were going - although Michael Gove has claimed that the protections in the employment bill will compensate. (See 1.16pm.)
The original bill had a long clause, clause 31, titled “Oversight of negotiations for future relationship”. It said the government could not engage in negotiations on the future relationship with the EU unless a statement setting out the negotiating objectives had been passed by MPs. That clause has gone, and the new clause 31 relates to the repeal of section 13 of the EU Withdrawal Act.
Eddie Hughes, the Conservative MP for Walsall North, is speaking now.
He says he normally only gets called right at the end of debate, when the chamber is empty.
Crouch says she hopes the Conservatives will govern in the one-nation tradition.
She represents Chatham. Charles Dickens lived in Chatham, and she says he was a great social reformer. He also knew the importance of laughter and good humour. She says she hopes MPs will learn from that.
Crouch jokes about Penny Mordaunt’s famous “cock” speech in the Commons, and then delivers a very sharp joke about Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, saying he now realises that Dover is an important trading post. It is a reference to this admission from Raab when he was Brexit secretary – a comment he would rather forget.
Tracey Crouch, the Conservative former sports minister, is proposing the loyal address to the Queen.Tracey Crouch, the Conservative former sports minister, is proposing the loyal address to the Queen.
Two backbenchers are invited to propose and second the loyal address. They are expected to give short, witty speeches.Two backbenchers are invited to propose and second the loyal address. They are expected to give short, witty speeches.
Crouch starts by saying this honour normally goes to someone whose career is behind them. Given that it is panto season, she prompts MPs to shout “Oh, no it’s not” when she says her career is behind her.Crouch starts by saying this honour normally goes to someone whose career is behind them. Given that it is panto season, she prompts MPs to shout “Oh, no it’s not” when she says her career is behind her.
Switching to a Christmas Carol theme, she suggests that Philip Hammond (who is no longer an MP) would fit the role of Scrouge. And Jeremy Corbyn could be Marley, she suggests. Switching to a Christmas Carol theme, she suggests that Philip Hammond (who is no longer an MP) would fit the role of Scrooge. And Jeremy Corbyn could be Marley, she suggests.
Corbyn remains stony-faced at this allusion.Corbyn remains stony-faced at this allusion.
MPs have now approved the motion to sit tomorrow by acclamation.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker, says he was anxious to ensure that MPs did not have to come back on Monday.
From my colleague Libby Brooks
MPs are about to start the Queen’s speech debate.
But, first, Sir Lindsay Hoyle is explaining why he is allowing the second reading of the EU (withdrawal agreement) bill tomorrow. Normally a bill like this would not have a second reading on a Friday, and certainly not just one day after the Queen’s speech. Hoyle says other parties in the house have been consulted and the circumstances justify this.
The Unite union has now responded to the Anna Turley libel decision. (See 2.22pm.) It is going to appeal. A spokesperson for the union said:
Turning back to social care, Matt Hancock, the health secretary, told the World at One that he hoped to start cross-party talks aimed at finding a consensus on the way forward “immediately in the new year”.
But, given that at that point the Labour leadership contest will just be properly getting underway, Hancock may find that the opposition is not in a position to engage at that point.
The Lib Dems are also without a permanent leader at the moment.
Anna Turley has released this statement about the libel case. (See 2.22pm.)
A former Labour MP who sued a union for libel has won a high court fight and been awarded £75,000 damages, the Press Association reports. Anna Turley - who lost her seat in Redcar, North Yorkshire, in the general election on December 12 - had sued Unite and blogger Stephen Walker over an item on the Skwawkbox blog.
When Sajid Javid, the chancellor, told the Tory conference in September that the government would raise the national living wage to £10.50 an hour over five years, that sounded like a clear commitment. It was in the manifesto (pdf) too as a promise about what would happen under a Conservative government, not something that might happen.
But now an element of doubt seems to be creeping in. As the government briefing document (pdf) on the Queen’s speech reveals, the national living wage increase will only take place “provided economic conditions allow”. This implies that, in the event of a recession, the rise won’t go ahead. The document says:
I’m grateful to SuffolkJason BTL for flagging this up.
Here is my colleague Dan Sabbagh, the Guardian’s defence and security editor, on the plans for a review of spying legislation. (See 12.08pm.)
The Queen’s speech says almost nothing new on social care, beyond restating the outline approach Boris Johnson sketched out during the general election campaign: an extra £1bn a year for councils, seeking cross-party consensus on a way forward, and ensuring no one should have to sell their home to pay for care.
But the government briefing paper (pdf) does say that the government may continue to allow councils to raise money for social care through a social care precept. This is something that has been happening since 2016; councils are allowed to raise council tax by an extra 2%, provided the revenue goes to social care.
The government document says:
The absence of a detailed plan for social care is an embarrassment because, in his first speech as PM in July, Johnson claimed that he had a “clear plan” to deal with the problem. He said: