‘Freedom’ and ‘fairness’ at heart of Queen’s Speech
By politics.co.uk staff
The coalition government will include at least 21 bills in an ambitious legislative programme supporting “freedom, fairness and responsibility”, according to reports.
Leaks of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat plans, to be announced by the monarch at the state opening of parliament on Tuesday, have been obtained by the Sunday Telegraph and Mirror on Sunday newspapers.
They reflect major concessions to the Lib Dems including the freedom bill, a repealing piece of legislation which will seek to redress the civil liberties balance, and a parliamentary reform bill including the referendum for alternative vote.
“My government will seek to build a strong and fair society by reforming public services and encouraging individual and social responsibility,” the Queen is expected to say, as she delivers a speech dominated by Tory manifesto proposals.
Michael Gove’s academies bill will be introduced to parliament immediately. Identity cards will be quickly scrapped. A national insurance contributions bill will stop Labour’s planned rise for employers.
After the summer recess legislation implementing the Tories’ 500-day programme for Britain will be introduced to parliament.
A decentralisation and localisation bill will hand communities more power and review local government finance. Iain Duncan Smith’s welfare reform bill will be published and a pensions and a financial services regulation bill will shake up the tripartite system introduced by the Labour government.
The breadth of the speech means the initial focus on spending cuts, set to be announced by George Osborne on Monday, will be quickly overshadowed.
But the Queen will refer to the coalition government’s approach, saying it will “reduce the deficit and restore economic growth” and “accelerate the reduction of the structural budget deficit”.
