What to expect from the Queen’s Speech

EU Referendum

There will be a bill in the Queen’s speech committing the Government to an In/Out vote on Britain’s membership of the European Union by the end of 2017.

We already knew it was coming but it is the biggest, most important issue of the next couple of years and it’s likely to dominate lots of political conversations for months to come.

Tax cut for low earners

Those on the minimum wage earners working 30 hours or less a week will be taken out of income tax.

An effort to legislate for a tax free minimum wage this will raise the threshold at which working people begin paying income tax to £12,500 from the current level of £10,600.

Critics say that a full-time working tax-free minimum wage should apply to 40 hours a week, not 30.

Snooper’s charter

The Liberal Democrats have blocked Theresa May’s plans for a Data and Communications bill which would have included, for the first time, forced companies to keep records of the details of messages sent on social media, webmail, voice calls over the internet and gaming, in addition to emails and phone calls.

However Theresa May said increased surveillance powers was “one very key example” of Tory policy that was blocked by the coalition arrangement – and this could be rectified in the first Queen’s Speech of a majority Conservative Government.

Childcare

We will see parents of 3 and 4-year-olds given double the amount of childcare – to 15 from 30 hours – from 2017.

Right to Buy and housing

A Housing Bill will extend the Right to Buy to 1.3 million housing association tenants so more people have the security of owning their home to raise their family.
Housing association tenants who have lived in a property for three years will be entitled to seek a discount on the purchase of the property of up to 70%.

There will also be legislation committing for 200,000 starter homes for first-time buyers. These will be sold at a 20 per cent discount to people under the age of 40.

Making it harder to go on strike

The speech will plans for a ban on strike action unless 40 per cent of all eligible union members vote for industrial action.

A strike affecting health, transport, fire services or schools will need to be backed by 40% of eligible union members.

There will also need to be a minimum 50% turnout in strike ballots.

Critics, especially the unions, are furious at the plans. They say that many MPs are elected with less thanscho 40 per cent of the vote.

End ‘coasting schools’

The next stage in sweeping education reform the Prime minister will bring in a bill to “”include new powers to force coasting schools, as well as failing schools, to accept new leadership, continuing the remarkable success story of Britain’s academy schools”.

The Government want to expand the free school programme, creating an extra 270,000 free school places by 2020.

<!–

–>

Hunting Ban

The manifesto pledge, likely to be popular with Mr Cameron’s back benchers, to put repealing the Hunting Act to a free vote could appear in the speech.

The ban has been unpopular in many rural areas since its introduction by Labour in 2004 – and David Cameron has indicated he would like to undo it, a move that would not go down well with animal welfare campaigners.

Funding for the NHS

The speech is likely to commit to an increase funding to £8bn extra a year by 2020 and create “a truly seven-day NHS”.

The government is also promising to recruit 5,000 new GPs.

Devolution

The prime minister has pledged to include a bill on devolution which would be based on the cross-party Smith Commission agreement on Scottish devolution.

Wales Secretary Stephen Crabb has said his officials were writing legislation to transfer further powers to Wales, so these could be included in the Queen’s Speech.

George Osborne is also likely to include something for his Northern Powerhouse pet project aimed at electing mayors invested with increasingly power.