The Queen was in Westminster on Wednesday to officially open the new Parliament and outline the Government’s upcoming agenda with her Queen’s Speech in the House of Lords. The speech focused on finding a broad consensus for a positive Brexit and increasing public investment in key services, primarily schools and the NHS. It also confirmed that the National Living Wage would be increased, domestic violence and mental health prioritised, and personal data protection and the digital charter enhanced. In the context of recent attacks, the speech also announced a Commission for Countering Extremism and pledged to help destroy Daesh in Iraq and Syria, aided by a commitment to meet the 2% NATO standard for defence spending.
I was happy to hear this positive and consumer-friendly Queen’s Speech. It is encouraging to hear that the Government is pursuing a consensus on Brexit, and this is certainly something that I anticipate contributing to as a Member of Parliament.
As a rural MP, I was particularly pleased that the commitment to a fairer funding formula in education spending was reaffirmed, as well as further spending on the NHS and important transport infrastructure. Pressing expansions like High Speed Rail were addressed, but I was glad that there was also mention of the infrastructure of the future, such as electric cars and commercial satellites.
A reference to fairer markets for consumers was also vital, and I was happy that the Government made clear that this was a priority, specifically with reference to unfair practices in the energy markets and the desire to achieve lower bills for consumers.
Overall, this was a positive message from the Government and I am glad that I have already been able to play my part in dissecting its key themes in debates in the House of Commons. I highlighted to the Prime Minister the changing nature of the UK economy and the need to make sure that those participating in the gig economy on short and flexible contracts have their rights protected. I look forward to making a more comprehensive contribution in the debates in the coming days.