Today’s Queen’s Speech laid out Theresa May’s plan for the coming year – but it seems to be missing some key manifesto pledges from the Conservatives.
The Queen’s Speech takes place every State Opening of Parliament. In it, the Queen delivers a speech written by ministers that outlines what we can expect the next year of legislation and Government to look like.
However after Theresa May’s exceptional gamble of calling a snap general election – and then losing it – she is in now in the difficult position of not being able to get much of the legislation passed that she would have liked to. With a minority Government, any legislation that doesn’t have the support of the entire group of Conservative MPs could easily fall should some of them vote against it.
Couple that with the apparent difficulty the Conservatives have faced in securing a deal with the DUP and we have a Government that may struggle to pass anything.
This leaves Theresa May in a position of needing to be incredibly careful with what she tries to bring to the table. This is the reason why some of her more controversial policies that would have likely stirred up trouble have been quietly dropped from this year’s speech.
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So what didn’t make an appearance in the Queen’s Speech?
Scrapping Free School Lunches
The Conservatives had originally planned to scrap free school lunches in a move that was branded a ‘absolute betrayal’. The original plan was to scrap hot school lunches and replace them with a breakfast at a fraction of the cost, working out at an alleged 7p per child.
The So-Called Dementia Tax
The so-called dementia tax, which would only have affected England, had left many concerned that they could face homelessness in the event of their elderly parents dying - as they could be hit with huge care bills.
Without clarification which never came, many elderly were concerned they would end up paying an almost unlimited amount of money for care.
Energy Price Cap
May had originally planned to impose a cap on the big energy companies to keep energy costs down for many who were unable to switch provider.
Now they promise to only 'examine' markets.
Means Testing of Winter Fuel Payments
The Tory manifesto pledged to introduce means testing when it came to the Winter Fuel Payment - a move that would have specifically hit pensioners and would have been barely worth the savings it would potentially create according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
The move would have seen many pensioners lose out on between £100-£300 a year to help pay for fuel in winter.
No Trump Visit
It’s not exactly a key pledge but the absence of any mention of a state visit by Donald Trump shows a climb-down from May’s previous hand-holding relationship with the US President.
Fox Hunting
The promise of a free vote on repealing the fox hunting ban was not mentioned - possibly on account of it being so wildly unpopular....
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Normally we would be revisiting the Queen’s Speech again next year, yet Theresa May has cancelled it and replaced it with a two-year parliamentary session.
May claims it is to ensure there is appropriate time for Brexit negotiations to take place, though opposition figures say it is an attempt by May to retain power despite failing to win a majority.
MPs will vote on the Conservative's programme for Government next week. If she doesn't get enough votes then either Corbyn will have the chance to form a government or we face another general election.
It is likely, however, that the Queen's Speech will pass.
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