2009 Queen’s Speech
Queen’s Speech
18 November 2009
Black Rod’s hammering on the doors of the House of Commons today was tantamount to the starting pistol firing in the General Election campaign. As MPs made their way to the House of Lords, one had the feeling that the jostling, bickering and hostility was a prelude to how the fifth parliamentary session of this tired third term Labour Government might play out over the remaining 70 or so working days.
The sheer scale of Labour’s ambitions for this last parliamentary term is astounding. Thirteen Bills (three carried over) and two draft bills were announced, two more than last year when the Government had a full session to play with! The choice of Bills introduced over the next six to eight weeks will tell us a lot about the Government’s priorities for what it would like to see on the statute books before the end of its term in office. The Equality Bill is a good case in point which contains some incredibly controversial measures such as requiring companies to report gender differences on pay and requiring public bodies to drive equality in the private sector through procurement.
Heavily trailed Bills to provide social care for the elderly, educational rights for children and parents, and protection for the poorest energy customers played to Labour’s heartlands whilst still having middle class appeal. It is foreseeable that these Bills will be amongst the first to be introduced. If this is the case then the Conservatives will have to choose their battles very carefully if, as touted, Tory peers decide to delay the progress of Bills in the Lords. This is a classic Gordon Brown dividing line, a clearly set trap that David Cameron will have to be careful to avoid if he is to protect his party’s social justice credentials.
Like last year, this year’s speech was set within the context of the economic situation with the fostering of growth and employment firmly at its core. Surprisingly, the issue which has coloured and dogged parliamentary proceedings since the summer, MPs’ expenses, was passed over with little more than a nod to “building trust in democratic institutions” in the speech’s preamble. Given the extent of the electorate’s disgust with MPs’ behaviour, it seems a risky strategy to seek to avoid the subject, particularly in the run-up to the election campaign.
The Government apparently drew back from more radical measures like electoral reform for fear it would become blocked in the Lords. Considering the declaration of opposition from Tory peers they might now wish they had gone ahead with it, if for nothing more than to draw another clear dividing line.
The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats slammed today’s speech as little more than talk and blatant politicking. It is interesting to note, however, that in the dying days of the Major Government a similar number of Bills were shepherded through with a smaller majority in a comparable amount of time. Some may interpret this as Brown inadvertently conceding that he is not going to get another opportunity to introduce these Bills.
The Pre-Budget Report, due on 9th December, is more critical than ever. High ambitions often come at a cost, and the country’s coffers have rarely been as bare. As flesh – and figures – get put on the bones of today’s Bills, we will have a better understanding of how many Bills have a chance of surviving, something that will no doubt correlate with Labour’s slim chances of forming the next Government.
Clare Coffey on behalf of the H&K public affairs team.
