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Queen's speech: PM sets out his 'ten-year blueprint' for Britain Queen's speech: PM points to harder Brexit and 10-year rule
(about 3 hours later)
Johnson government outlines agenda including NHS funding and terrorist sentencing Johnson government outlines tougher laws on sentencing and constitutional reform
Boris Johnson has promised “a new golden age” for the UK as he marked his government’s second Queen’s speech and described his plans as a blueprint for the next decade. Boris Johnson has set out his vision for the Tories to govern for the next decade as he published a Queen’s speech that points the way towards a harder Brexit and sweeping constitutional reforms.
Speaking to MPs in the Commons he described how he has “invincible confidence” for the future following his general election victory, which handed him a significant majority. The prime minister claimed that he wanted his programme for government to last for more than one parliament, describing it as a “blueprint for the future of Britain”.
Johnson said: “This is not a programme for one year, or one parliament it is a blueprint for the future of Britain. More than 30 new laws were set out during the Queen’s speech, including the EU withdrawal agreement bill, tougher laws on sentencing, new espionage offences and a commitment to constitutional reform.
“Just imagine where this country could be in ten years’ time.” The Brexit bill in particular was met with dismay by Labour and other opposition parties, as its text has been been significantly altered since Johnson last week won an 80-seat majority.
More than 30 pieces of legislation were set out during the Queen’s speech including the EU withdrawal agreement bill, which will be voted on at 3pm on Friday. There are also new laws promising higher NHS funding and longer prison sentences for terrorists. The new legislation has stripped out protections for workers’ rights, watered down a commitment to take unaccompanied refugee children from Europe, and removed parliament’s say on the future relationship. It also inserted a ban on the government extending the Brexit transition period beyond the end of 2020.
Brexit barely featured in his speech to MPs, except to repeat his election phrase “get Brexit done” just once. The government will shut down the Department for Exiting the European Union in January and is expected soon to drop the word Brexit altogether from official documents. The move destroys any illusions that the prime minister might have been planning to face down his hardline Eurosceptics and pivot towards a softer Brexit, despite the prime minister’s claims in the Commons to be leading a “one nation” government.
A senior source said: “On 31 January we will have got Brexit done and then the focus will be on the future relationship with the European union.” The government insisted that workers’ rights protection would be enshrined in another bill, but Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, warned that the legislation “paves the way towards a hard and extreme Brexit”.
Johnson’s primary focus for his speech was his “radical” domestic agenda that he insists will change Britain. He will also ditch the Fixed Terms Parliament Act early next year, which means the next election is likely to be in December 2024 or January 2025. “The Tories have torn up the protections for workers’ rights and child refugees – and watered down parliament’s role in the next phase of Brexit negotiations,” Starmer said. “It was a bad bill before the election and it is even worse now.”
He said his government will be a one nation Tory offer to the public, a reflection on the fact he no longer needs to give credence to the more right-wing elements of the party, including the influential European Research Group. He confirmed that Labour would not be supporting the legislation, but earlier there was a split in shadow cabinet, with some members representing pro-leave seats suggesting that the party should not vote against the bill at second reading at least.
“This Queen’s Speech – of this people’s government – sets in motion a vast interlocking programme to unite and level up across the whole United Kingdom and unleash the potential of all our people,” he told the Commons. Johnson is planning to hold the second reading on Friday at 3pm and the legislation is certain to pass, given the prime minister’s new majority of 80 MPs.
“I am filled with invincible confidence in the ability of this nation, our United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, to renew itself in this generation as we have done so many times in the past.” Following the Queen’s speech, the prime minister talked of “invincible confidence” for the future after his general election victory, with his comments suggesting he believes he can win again in 2024.
This is the second Queen’s Speech in two months. There were similarities to his first but new additions following the election and the Conservative party’s manifesto. “This is not a programme for one year, or one parliament – it is a blueprint for the future of Britain,” he said. “Just imagine where this country could be in 10 years’ time.”
The main new piece of legislation is an NHS bill that would enshrine in law a £33.9bn cash increase in funding by 2023-4, in what appears to be largely a symbolic move. Brexit barely featured in his speech to MPs, except to repeat his election phrase “get Brexit done” just once. The government will shut down the Department for Exiting the European Union in January and is expected to drop the word Brexit altogether from official documents soon.
A new counter-terrorism bill has also been added in the wake of the London Bridge terrorist attack. It would legislate for tougher sentences for serious terrorist offenders and a 14-year minimum term for the worst. A senior source said: “On 31 January we will have got Brexit done, and then the focus will be on the future relationship with the European Union.”
Johnson’s primary focus for his speech was his “radical” domestic agenda, which, he insists, will change Britain. This will include a new Constitution, Democracy and Rights Commission, which will examine “how our democracy operates” in a move that has caused concern among opposition parties that he will try to change the UK’s constitutional arrangements in the Tories’ favour.
There has been speculation that he could give politicians the power to appoint judges, as in the US, following Johnson’s loss in the supreme court this autumn, but a No 10 source insisted that would not be one of the changes being examined.
The Queen’s speech did, however, announce plans to ditch the Fixed-term Parliaments Act early next year, which gives the government licence to call an election at a time of its choosing, possibly as late as December 2024.
The ceremony, which officially marks the beginning of a new session of parliament, was the second Queen’s speech in two months. There were similarities to his first, but also several additions following the election and the Conservative party’s manifesto.
The main new piece of legislation is an NHS bill that would enshrine in law a £33.9bn cash increase in funding by 2023-4, in what appears to be a largely symbolic move.
A new counter-terrorism bill has also been added after the London Bridge terrorist attack. It would legislate for tougher sentences for serious terrorist offenders and a 14-year minimum term for the worst.
It would also remove the option of early release for terrorists who receive an extended determinate sentence and move the earliest point for discretionary release from halfway to two-thirds of the way through sentence for terrorists who are deemed less dangerous.It would also remove the option of early release for terrorists who receive an extended determinate sentence and move the earliest point for discretionary release from halfway to two-thirds of the way through sentence for terrorists who are deemed less dangerous.
A third new element was the promise of “espionage legislation”, which would include introducing a new Official Secrets Act. The current legislation is more than a century old and needs updating to deal with “hostile states”, according to the government. They could also look at introducing a register of foreign agents operating in the UK and updating the treason laws.A third new element was the promise of “espionage legislation”, which would include introducing a new Official Secrets Act. The current legislation is more than a century old and needs updating to deal with “hostile states”, according to the government. They could also look at introducing a register of foreign agents operating in the UK and updating the treason laws.
Human rights groups expressed reservations about plans to review the possibility of reviving the offence of treason, which dates back to 1351 and was last used to prosecute the Nazi propagandist William Joyce, or Lord Haw-Haw, after the second world war. Clare Collier, advocacy director at Liberty, said: “Creating new criminal offences is rarely justified and existing laws already define hostile state activity extremely broadly.”
Britain’s spy agencies have been pressing for the government to reform espionage legislation, last tackled two decades ago in the Official Secrets Act 1989, before the emergence of the world wide web. Existing secrecy laws are full of archaic terms such as “code words”, although Collier warned that reform could easily result in “a further attempt to increase state power while reducing accountability” unless safeguards were introduced.
The prime minister’s official spokesperson said: “Some of our allies have particular systems in place and we will be looking at systems such as the US has and if that practice could work in the UK.”The prime minister’s official spokesperson said: “Some of our allies have particular systems in place and we will be looking at systems such as the US has and if that practice could work in the UK.”
Two other new bills include one that insists on a minimum level of service for the railways, which would prevent strikes bringing trains to a halt, and another on renting that would abolish no-fault evictions and introduce lifetime deposits. Two other new bills include one that insists on a minimum level of service for the railways, which would prevent strikes bringing trains to a halt, and another on renting that would abolish no-fault evictions and introduce lifetime deposits. Another bill would make it illegal for public institutions to take part in “boycott, divestment or sanctions campaigns against foreign countries and those who trade with them” – a move aimed at universities introducing such policies against Israel.
The Queen did not dress in formal robes and the ceremonial aspects were pared down, as the event had been quickly put together to make sure it happened before Christmas. Other key elements of a speech widely trailed in advance include further plans for tougher jail sentences and controversial proposals to oblige people to show photographic ID before they are allowed to vote.
Other key elements of a speech widely trailed in advance included further plans for tougher jail sentences and controversial proposals to oblige people to show photographic ID before they are allowed to vote.
A new immigration bill would make EU citizens “subject to the same UK immigration controls as non-EU citizens”, thus ending free movement, and introduce an Australian-style points-based entry system, while another bill would update or replace EU regulations on financial markets.A new immigration bill would make EU citizens “subject to the same UK immigration controls as non-EU citizens”, thus ending free movement, and introduce an Australian-style points-based entry system, while another bill would update or replace EU regulations on financial markets.
Eight bills outlined were devoted to law and order, reflecting the Tories’ election focus on crime and punishment – a direction that has prompted alarm from prison reform charities.Eight bills outlined were devoted to law and order, reflecting the Tories’ election focus on crime and punishment – a direction that has prompted alarm from prison reform charities.
Under one measure, violent and sexual offenders would serve a minimum of two-thirds of their sentence before becoming eligible to be released on licence, compared with half under current guidelines. Under one measure, violent and sexual offenders would serve a minimum of two-thirds of their sentence before becoming eligible to be released on licence, compared with half under current guidelines. Another would significantly increase the six-month maximum jail term for foreign offenders who returned to the UK in breach of deportation orders.
Another would significantly increase the six-month maximum jail term for foreign offenders who returned to the UK in breach of deportation orders. As Johnson walked from the Commons to the Lords to hear the Queen outline his programme, the outgoing Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, walked alongside him in silence. The Queen did not dress in formal robes and the ceremonial aspects were pared down, as the event had been quickly put together to make sure it happened before Christmas.
As Johnson walked from the Commons to the Lords to hear the Queen outline his programme, the outgoing Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, walked alongside him in silence. Responding to the speech, Corbyn said it contained “nothing of substance” on a range of issues from the NHS to tackling climate change, social care, early years and universities.
Responding to the speech, John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, said: “This is more pomp and ceremony – the second Queen’s speech in three months – from a government hopelessly out of touch with the needs and hopes of people in this country.
“There is nothing new in this Queen’s speech for our NHS and public services, or people struggling this Christmas, except for strong suggestions that this government wants to slash regulations on its way to making the UK a Trump-supporting tax haven.
“There is a woeful lack of ambition on regional investment and infrastructure – and Labour will continue to show up the government for what it is: a government for the few and not the many.”