The Queen’s Speech rounds off the state opening of parliament and officially introduces the Government’s legislative agenda for the next session.
It’s the government’s shopping list of all the things it would like to do in a year. It’s an important year, too because it is likely to be the last year major legislation is taken forward before the next General Election, which is expected in 2024.
There’s a lot to get through, with around 15 Bills planned for the next session and some 27 separate areas on which the Government is expected to legislate, according to a House of Commons briefing.
The Government has taken forward a number of Bills from the previous session, such as the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill, which seeks to “monitor and enforce freedom of speech” at universities and colleges.
Also being carried over are the legislation to extend HS2 from Crewe to Manchester and the Online Safety Bill – which Nadine Dorries recently said would make Britain’s internet “the safest internet in the world”. She claims she misspoke and blamed her dyslexia for apparently stating the internet in the UK is a different internet accessed elsewhere in the world.
The Online Safety Bill is a controversial piece of legislation which would give Ofcom power to regulate websites, as it does broadcasters currently. But there are concerns it could limit freedom of expression online and would see the Government coming up against the might of digital giants such as Google and Facebook.
Bills that have been taken forward notwithstanding, there are a number of other areas on which the Government is likely to wish to legislate.
Many of these, such as legal reforms which only pertain to England and education policy, which is devolved, are unlikely to have much if any impact on Scotland.
But some will. Boris Johnson has insisted his “defining mission” as Prime Minister – other than trying to save his own skin and that of his Tory rule-breaking mates – is to plough ahead with his “Levelling Up” agenda.
These are some of the things to watch out for come the state opening of parliament on May 10.
Bill of Rights
Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab is committed to scrapping the Human Rights Act as it stands and is on a mission to “restore common sense to the application of human rights”.
A consultation presented on overhauling UK human rights in December last year highlights specific reforms such as plans to make it easier to deport people, as well as restricting court access for claims deemed “unmeritous”.
Legal experts have warned it could pose a threat to the principle of open justice and concerns have also been raised large parts of the legislation are unnecessary.
Channel 4 privatisation
Channel 4 costs the taxpayer nothing and provides public service broadcasting funded through commercial activity.
This is the model devised by Margaret Thatcher and it has held since 1982. Nadine Dorries wants to privatise it.
Expect huge opposition in parliament, including from the Tory benches.
Initial reaction from politicians, the public and the media has been overwhelmingly negative.
Dorries will have a fight on her hands but she has made it clear she relishes a scrap. Channel 4 News’ continued criticism of the Tory Government is unlikely to make her stand down.
Getting Brexit done... again
While Brexit has been achieved, the Government is committed to dismantling the legacy of EU membership.
Courts are still required to interpret retained EU laws under the terms agreed by parliament when MPs finally voted to leave the EU after years of wrangling.
In December 2021, Lord Frost pledged to review the influence of retained parts of EU legislation. But EU law was enormously enmeshed with UK law prior to Brexit.
Lord Frost has said there will be some democratic scrutiny to how this disentangled but there are loopholes in that pledge and there are fears significant parts may be scrapped without proper parliamentary oversight.
Levelling Up
This is a particularly thorny area when it comes to Scotland as the Tories in Westminster are now committed to bypassing devolved Governments and dealing with local authorities (across the UK) directly.
This has already happened to some extent, with funds coming directly to councils through the Shared Prosperity Fund.
Johnson is committed to introducing legislation which makes into law some of the duties of the Department for Levelling Up, including targets for reducing inequality across English regions.
The Department, headed by Michael Gove, is also expected to implement measures to “expand, deepen and improve devolution in England”.
Much of the detail of this is hazy at the moment but we could see yet more wars between ministers in Edinburgh, London and Cardiff over what this means for the existing devolved governments.
