The annual State Opening of Parliament may be steeped in pomp and ceremony \u2013 the State Coach, the Imperial Crown, Black Rod\u2019s famous summoning of MPs into the House of Lords \u2013 yet after a year of unprecedented state intervention across every aspect of our daily lives, there have been few times in modern history where a government\u2019s legislative agenda mattered so much, and to so many.<\/p>\n
The goal for Number 10 couldn\u2019t be clearer \u2013 to deliver on the promises from of 2019 manifesto which propelled the Prime Minister to the largest Conservative majority in over 30 years. So far, Grayling analysis shows that 27% of 2019 manifesto commitments have been completed whilst progress has been made on a further 54%. Given this is the first Queen\u2019s Speech since Britain left the European Union, the Prime Minister will also be keen to define Britain\u2019s new place on the global stage by highlighting the \u201cGlobal Britain\u201d agenda and the UK\u2019s leadership role through the G7 summit in Cornwall next month, as well as COP26 in November. However, the task of delivering these objectives is now dogged by the new challenges of rebuilding a nation from crisis and navigating the changes in society, business, and culture which the pandemic served to accelerate.<\/p>\n
The Prime Minister is said to have approved a raft of new Bills and measures, ranging from social care reform to online safety. And although the Queen\u2019s Speech will not have detailed policy proposals for every new piece of legislation announced \u2013 the Government will be keen to show its post-pandemic vision.<\/p>\n
As part of the promise to \u201cbuild back better\u201d and to deliver on the \u201clevelling up\u201d agenda, new measures to boost regional economies are expected to be front and center, with bills to reform the planning sector to speed up construction and development a near certainty. In addition, new legislation around freeports is also expected, in an attempt to energise industries and geographies suffering from the double whammy of pandemic and post-Brexit fallout.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a new Health and Care Bill will deliver significant reform to NHS management, with Ministers looking to take back control of key decisions and processes \u2013 reversing the practice of giving more autonomy to local healthcare trusts under David Cameron and Theresa May. What is more, social care reform is also rumoured to make an appearance, with the Prime Minister keen to make inroads on a difficult issue that has plagued his predecessors for years. It remains unclear however how much detail is expected around this political football, which may again be kicked into the long grass in the months to come.<\/p>\n
New measures to reinforce the UK\u2019s security in the face of international threats has also been floated by Foreign Office insiders, with a new National Security Bill tipped to be included \u2013 following on from the recently published Security, Defence, Development, and Foreign Policy review. A new Online Safety Bill will empower Ofcom to regulate tech platforms, whilst Number 10 has also heavily briefed that a post-Brexit State Aid Bill will reform the way the government can intervene in the labour market.<\/p>\n
In addition to the introduction of new legislation, the new session will also include a number of old bills which fell foul of the parliamentary timetable and failed to make it through the last Parliament. These include measures to reform the telecommunications and environment sectors, as well as the Police and Armed Forces.<\/p>\n
As ever, the Queen\u2019s Speech is the government\u2019s ability to wipe the slate clean, to start afresh, to reenergise their base and deliver on their promises. Governments have looked to the Queen\u2019s Speech to draw a line under their previous failings, or bury the ghosts of broken promises. Positive local and mayoral election results for the Conservatives will only serve to assist in creating a political narrative about a re-set for the Government.<\/p>\n