The first Queen’s Speech of a newly elected majority Conservative Government was always going to be eagerly anticipated, especially when the majority was so unexpected.
The content of a Queen’s Speech is well trailed in the media in advance, making surprises few and far between. But no-one can be 100% sure what the Government’s Parliamentary agenda is until the Queen has announced its intentions. Even then, Bills can be introduced that are not in the Speech and ones that are can mysteriously vanish.
Here are 15 things that we learned from the 2015 Queen’s Speech.
Gone are the days of Government doing less – This Queen’s Speech, and promise of the introduction of 24 Bills, is a robust defence of what can be achieved by Government and shows the pent up demand for change that obviously existed during the years of Coalition. This Queen’s Speech shows a muscular Government that wants to use its position to change British society.
The election manifesto means something. The list of Bills is an accurate reflection of the Conservative Party manifesto. Far from manifestos being irrelevant, this Queen’s Speech shows that they still have meaning for a new Government. The challenge now will be in maintaining this early momentum.
Removing the difficult. By removing the divisive Bill of Rights from its immediate priorities, the Government has taken action to prevent it from being knocked off course. They can also genuinely claim to be listening to all views rather than steamrollering plans through. This increases the chances of getting other legislation through.
This will be a busy Parliament, in both Houses. At times under the Coalition, Parliamentarians appeared to be kicking their heels. Not so in this Parliament. There will be a lot of work to do on the Bills plus all the other scrutiny of Government that takes place as well.
The Government is serious about devolution. The Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill could represent one of the most significant shifts in power seen in recent years. The establishment of ‘metro mayors’ could mean that the role of Ministers changes (although they may not quite realise this yet) and the inclusion of ‘local government’ in the title means that the changes are not solely about cities.
The ‘bargaining chip’ policies remain. Policies, such as the right to buy for housing association tenants, which were thought could be lost in the event of potential coalition negotiations are still there. This is a further demonstration of the role of the manifesto. The Government is clearly stating that the policies that were voted for is the programme upon which it will govern.
The tax local commitment will be put in place. This will be a challenge to the next Government as well, but will the Bill be renewed for each successive Government?
Childcare is a majority Conservative Government issue too. The Lib Dems, as the Coalition partner, attempted to portray measures related to childcare as ‘theirs’. The Childcare Bill, with its free childcare, is a direct challenge to this view of the world.
Housing is about empowerment not targets. According to the details provided, the Housing Bill will kick start housing supply by freeing up the neighbourhood planning system and making details of brownfield sites available. It is not about legislating for specific numbers.
Employment will be helped by tackling welfare benefits. The proposed Full Employment and Welfare Benefits Bill will create a duty to report on progress towards full employment and the target of achieving 3 million new apprenticeships. The flip side is freezing the main rates of a number of working-age benefits, tax credits and Child Benefit and to reduce the level of the benefit cap. Expecting young people to ‘learn or earn’ will likely put off any employment downturn during this Parliament, if not for the next five years. How sustainable it proves to be beyond that will have to be seen.
There is plenty for the SNP to get their teeth into. The Scotland Bill will be a challenge of the true strength the new contingent of SNP MPs will be. They believe that their massive victory and number of MPs gives them a right to demand more. Whilst the Scotland Bill is one obvious place where the debates will come to a head, there could also be arguments over the European Referendum Bill and the Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill – why should England be changed when Scotland is not…? This could depend on when the Government brings forward its proposed changes to the Standing Orders to ensure English votes for English legislation. Quite what the Labour Party’s line is on this and what the Government’s proposed timescale is are unclear.
Europe will dominate. The European Union Referendum Bill will be but the first stage of the process of renegotiation. With Labour now supporting a referendum, the debate will focus on the electorate, timing, wording etc. It could be used by the Government to demonstrate that the UK is serious about the whole process but the time of civil servants will still need to be spent working out the implications and scenario planning as it has been revealed the Bank of England has been doing.
Enterprise still needs help. The Enterprise Bill and Trade Unions Bill together provide evidence that the Government is ‘business-friendly’. The effective outlawing of strikes which do not have at least 50% turnout at the ballot will keep essential services in operation and reduce the former stronghold of the trade unions yet further. If enacted, the basic premise of the trade union movement will have to shift and they will have to look again at what is offered to members to remain relevant and meaningful in the 21st Century. In addition, the Labour Party will need to consider whether the shift if another challenge to its historic relationship with the movement.
A role for the Lib Dems? The former party of Coalition Government could have plenty to say about civil liberties especially with the promised Investigatory Powers Bill. If the party wants to reclaim a position for itself, based on its historic principles, then this could be a starting point.
The “green cr@p†has been cut. With its emphasis on energy security and an Energy Bill, the Oil and gas Authority will be given powers to help maximise the economic recovery of oil and gas from UK waters. Action against climate change will be focused on the Paris Conference where the Government ‘hopes’ to agree ‘an ambitious global deal on international climate change’.
This is a packed legislative agenda and is a clear attempt by the Government to get things done quickly to make the most of the momentum of its election victory.
There will be plenty of controversies but with Labour looking inwardly to elect its leader and deputy leader, and the Lib Dems likewise deciding on where it goes from here, it seems likely that the most effective opposition will be the SNP.