PTI
London, June 21: Queen Elizabeth II Wednesday unveiled the government’s scaled-down agenda in her speech dominated by a host of proposed new laws designed to prepare the UK for a “smooth and orderly” divorce from the EU amidst the political uncertainty after Prime Minister Theresa May’s poll debacle.
At a scaled-down State Opening of Parliament, the Queen’s Speech, which is prepared by the government of the day and read out by the 91-year-old monarch, laid out the legislative priorities for parliamentary proceedings. The scaled down version, minus the usual royal procession and pageantry, is a result of the rushed preparations following the snap general election earlier this month that saw May’s Conservative Party failing to garner a majority in the House of Commons.
This year’s speech was dominated by Brexit and will cover a two-year period instead of one to give MPs time to deliberate on laws needed to leave the European Union (EU) – irrespective of the final deal agreed with Brussels. A host of proposed new laws designed to prepare the UK for a “smooth and orderly” departure from the EU have been announced. Of 24 bills, eight relate to Brexit and its implications for key industries.
As well as a bill to convert EU rules into UK law, there are measures on trade, customs, immigration, fisheries, agriculture, nuclear and sanctions. But other key manifesto plans have either been axed or delayed after the Conservatives lost their majority. At the heart of this is the so-called Great Repeal Bill, which will repeal the 1972 European Communities Act and end the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice. It will also copy existing EU legislation to the UK statute book, and Parliament will decide which bits to retain.
