Asked if the government will set up an inquiry into Covid in this session of parliament, PM replies it will happen ‘this session’. This live blog is closed - for updates on coronavirus, please follow the global live blog
- Johnson says public inquiry into Covid will begin this parliament
- Planning laws an ‘utter disaster’, say countryside campaigners
- Queen’s speech unveils plans on free speech, policing and voter ID
- What made it into the Queen’s speech, and what was left out
- FCA investigates Greensill as Cameron’s lobbying texts made public
Theresa May, the Conservative former prime minister, used her speech in the Queen’s speech debate to take a series of swipes at her successor’s record.
I think [Tory MP Katherine Fletcher] thought that this proposal would bring greater local involvement. In fact, the white paper proposals bring less local involvement.
They reduce local democracy, they remove the opportunity for local people to comment on specific developments, they remove the ability of local authorities to set development policies locally - and I think the white paper proposals would also lead to fewer affordable homes because it hands developers a get-out clause.
I would urge the government to look again at this reduction because it is having an impact on the poorest and on suffering across the world. And if we really want to show our values as a country then I think we should be doing everything we can to uphold those commitments.
I know it’s not an easy issue, I put forward a plan, it was comprehensively rejected - so I recognise the difficulty in trying to come forward with something here, but it is an issue we need to grasp.
I think the pandemic has shown, and the issues around social care that came up have shown, the importance of this and of reform that genuinely provides a sustainable social care system into the future.
Back at the Treasury committee Lex Greensill says his company clearly failed. But he says that “taking real-time information out of corporate accounting systems and using that information to make credit decisions” is clearly the future.
Q: You stood to gain so much that you lost sight of what was right?
The Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice Campaign, which was been actively campaigning for a public inquiry into the pandemic, says the inquiry promised by Boris Johnson should start this summer.
The Prime Minister has just confirmed that there will be a "full proper public inquiry" into Covid-19 in this Parliamentary session.
This inquiry must begin this Summer and it must have full statutory powers.
Learn Lessons. Save Lives.#CovidInquiryNowpic.twitter.com/YNlqzadbXX
Q: Lord Myners told us this would cost the taxpayer £3bn to £5bn. You have tried to discredit his evidence. Who should we believe? Who is lying?
Greensill says he is telling the truth.
Back in the Treasury committee Labour’s Rushanara Ali is asking questions now. She starts by asking about the lobbying by the company, and by David Cameron.
Lex Greensill says they did not lobby ahead of the launch of the CBILS (Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme).
Here is some reaction from opposition parties to Boris Johnson’s announcement in the Commons earlier (see 3.39pm and 3.46pm) about launching a public inquiry into Covid within a year.
From Angela Rayner, the deputy Labour leader:
We welcome this commitment and will hold the prime minister to it.
It must be entirely open and truly independent, have the trust and confidence of bereaved families, and cannot be an exercise in the government marking its own homework.
BREAKING: the PM has just told me, he will start an independent inquiry into the Government’s handling of Covid, in this parliamentary session - ie in the next 12 months.
We’ll hold him to account on behalf of our country’s bereaved families - so they can get answers & justice.
PM has just pledged to hold a #Covid Inquiry during this parliamentary session
It’s vital that it’s genuinely independent & wide ranging so lessons are learned, bereaved families get justice & never again are so many lives lost @CovidJusticeUK#CovidInquiryNow
At the Treasury committee Mel Stride is now asking about David Cameron’s lobbying on behalf of Greensill.
Lex Greensill says his conversations with Cameron were focused on the financing facility available during the Covid crisis, and in particular the CCFF (Covid corporate financing facility).
Sky’s Paul Kelso summarises the Lex Greensill evidence so far.
Lex Greensill, dressed for the City but giving evidence from home, taking three pronged approach: apologise to those who've lost jobs; blame his insurers for collapsing the company; and discredit Parliamentary accuser Lord Myners, who he says was discussing a seat on the board
There is anger in the women’s sector at the apparent dropping of the employment bill from the Queen’s speech.
The bill has been widely viewed as a vital legislative vehicle for protecting the rights of pregnant workers and improving gender equality in the UK, with campaigners hoping it would provide greater protections for pregnant women against being made redundant, address the low take-up of shared parental leave, provide neonatal leave for parents and make flexible working the default option for employees.
We know that women have been particularly impacted by the pandemic and the sectors that have traditionally had a huge proportion of female jobs have been very much impacted. So we need to have a focus on how we can make sure that women – as well as young people, men, older workers – find roots back into work.
We’ve had some comments in the Queen’s speech about employment, and I would like to see them fleshed out further so that we can get an idea whether we will actually see legislation coming forward because it’s imperative that that happens as soon as possible.
Ministers have repeatedly promised women stronger legal protection – in their December 2019 manifesto – and they now need to urgently deliver on that promise.
Back in the committee Stride asks why Greensill failed.
Greensill says the company’s main insurer withdrew its insurance.
The UK’s financial regulator has launched a formal investigation into the collapse of Greensill Capital, as David Cameron’s text message lobbying of serving ministers in an efforts to save the controversial bank were made public for the first time, my colleague Rupert Neate reports.
Related: FCA investigates Greensill as David Cameron’s lobbying texts are made public
Greensill quotes from a note that Myners sent the company in July last year saying that he was comfortable with the way Greensill Capital worked and saw nothing in the way it worked to warrant the use of the term fraudulent.
This statement was sent by Myners after the meeting with Greensill previously referred to. (See 4.06pm.)
Mel Stride, the chair, opens by referring to a meeting that Lord Myners had with Greensill. Myners came away thinking that Greensill’s business model was akin to a Ponzi scheme.
Greensill says he was surprised when Myners said that to the committee two weeks ago. He says it is not consistent with his recollection of events. He says he has checked his records.
Greensill opens with a short statement.
He says he bears complete responsiblity for the collapse of his company.
To all of those affected by this, I am truly sorry.
The financier Lex Greensill is about to give evidence to the Commons Treasury committee about the collapse of his company, and its involvement with government.
There is a live feed here.
Ian Blackford, the SNP leader at Wesminster, is speaking in the Queen’s speech today. He says the SNP won 85% of the constituencies in the Holyrood election on 48% of the vote. That was the highest number of constituencies ever won in a Scottish parliament election, he says, and the highest share of the vote. He says the SNP clearly have a mandate for a second referendum.
In response to Tory jeers that the SNP didn’t win, he says their view is “warped”. The SNP won 62 of the 73 constituency seats, he says.
This is from Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, responding to Boris Johnson’s jibe about her earlier. (See 3.32pm.)
The only title I'm hungry for, @BorisJohnson, is Deputy Prime Minister.
Erm... niche but Rayner is shadow first secretary of state, not shadow deputy prime minister. So if Starmer gets into government, I guess this is a sign she won't settle for first secretary of state https://t.co/hMvJgIt8Ud
Lawyers for a man challenging the government’s decision to hold voter ID trials in 2019 are to seek to bring forward his supreme court hearing of the case, in light of the Queen’s speech.
Neil Coughlan, aged 68, of Witham, Essex, who does not hold photo ID, has been fighting a crowdfunded legal case against the proposals since pilot schemes in 10 local authority areas, including his own, were rolled out in 2019. After the high court ruled that the schemes were lawful and judges at the court of appeal agreed, he was granted permission to take his case to the supreme court.
Now that voter ID plans have been included in the Queen’s speech, I am asking the supreme court if it is possible for my case to be heard as soon as possible. I am convinced that these plans will mean people miss out on their ability to vote in future parliamentary elections and it is important that MPs will have the benefit of the judgment of the supreme court when they debate the issue.
This is what Boris Johnson said when Sir Ed Davey asked if the government would set up a public inquiry into Covid in this session of parliament (see 3.39pm). Johnson replied:
I can certainly say that we will do that within this session, yes. I’ve made that clear before. I do believe it is essential that we have a full, proper public inquiry into the Covid pandemic, and I’ve been clear with the house before.
Related: Johnson says public inquiry into Covid will begin this parliament
Sir Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, asks if the government will set up the inquiry into Covid in this session of parliament.
Johnson says he will do that “this session”.
Johnson is talking about the elections. He says 70% of police and crime commissioners are now Conservative.
He quotes the defeated Amber Valley Labour council leader who responded to defeat by saying: “The voters have let us down. I hope they don’t live to regret it.” Johnson says that is Labour’s approach; they want to change, not themselves, but the electorate.
Johnson is now making a joke about Starmer facing a potential threat from Angela Rayner. The more titles he feeds her, the hungrier she is likely to become.
(It started off as a reference to lions, prompted by the fact that Katherine Fletcher, whom he is praising, used to be a safari guide.)
Boris Johnson is speaking now.
He says the economy is poised to bounce back. He says he wants to level up, because talent is distributed across the country, but opportunity is not.
Starmer says Labour will consider the online safety bill. And it will look at plans to end violence against women.
But overall the Queen’s speech shows the government does not understand what went wrong in the last decade, he says. It is “a chance that has been squandered”.
Starmer says, if the government had acted to address the post-Grenfell cladding style, it would have had cross-party support.
The plans for compulsory voter ID will suppress turnout, and disproportionately affect people from ethnic minorities, he says.
Starmer claims the Queen’s speech also fails on skills and education. He says his father spent his life working on the factory floor. He knows how vital skills training is.
And he says the plans in the Queen’s speech will not do anything to address violent crime, which has doubled since 2015. Starmer says he drafted his own bill to help victims six years ago. The government should adopt it, he says.
Starmer says the Queen’s speech should have raised the national living wage to £10 an hour, and included a stimulus to create 400,000 jobs.
And he says the failure to have a plan for adult social care is “unforgivable”.
Starmer is now on to the serious stuff.
This is a seminal moment, he says.
Sir Keir Starmer is speaking now.
As is usual, he starts with tributes to the two backbenchers who opened the debate.
Back in the Commons, Katherine Fletcher is engaged in an extended metaphor about the characteristics of Tory MPs, involving puppies and grey-haired older dogs. It doesn’t sound very clear in summary like this, but it seems to be going down well in the chamber. She is making a point about the “sheer diversity of team Tory”.
These days, she says, when Boris Johnson goes on about Homer, Tory MPs are more likely to think Simpson, she says, than the classics.
As the Telegraph’s Lucy Fisher reports, Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leader of the Commons, was showing his enthusiasm for the government’s levelling up agenda this morning by wearing an Old Etonian face mask. At £18 each, they’re obviously a bargain.
Jacob Rees-Mogg appears to have donned an "Old Etonian" facemask for the Queen's Speech today pic.twitter.com/DJoxZVyVUh
Back in the Commons Katherine Fletcher, the Conservative MP for South Ribble, is speaking now, seconding the loyal address. She starts by saying the Queen was “flipping ace”.
Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, has got a new newspaper column - in the London Evening Standard. This is from the Standard’s editor, Emily Sheffield.
Delighted that northern firebrand @andyburnham Mayor of Greater Manchester joins as a new columnist next week, writing on the burning issues that unite our regions. Today he tells us, we don’t London to level down for the north to prosper. @standardnews #kingofthenorthpic.twitter.com/TR5GQGUIy7
Can’t imagine many in Starmer’s office will be thrilled about this. May end up being a bit like Johnson’s pieces in the Telegraph during his King over the Water period against Theresa May.
Vara recalls coming to the UK from Uganda in the 1960s when he was a child. He could not speak English at that point. He says in those days it was lawful to discriminate against people on the grounds of race, and people did.
He says when he was selected as a candidate in 2000 his Labour opponent used his race and Hindu religion against him. He says that backfired.
Shailesh Vara, the Conservative former minister, is proposing the loyal address to the Queen. He jokes about how the Lib Dems are so small that they could all meet in the chamber - and still observe social distancing.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker, is opening the session by reading out a spiel telling MPs they must comply with the MPs’ code of conduct.
This is a standard formality when parliament meets for the first time at the beginning of a new session. But Hoyle also includes a passage saying that he does not have the power to force MPs to correct the record when they make false comments in the chamber, and that it is therefore incumbent on MPs who do make an error to correct this.
It is incumbent on members to be accurate in what they say in this house. If a member is inaccurate by mistake, they should correct that mistake as soon as possible.
PA Media has more on the David Cameron emails and text messages published by the Treasury committee. (See 2.03pm.) It says:
David Cameron and his office staff sent ministers and officials 45 emails, texts and WhatsApp messages relating to Greensill Capital in less than four months.
A timeline of his contacts submitted by the former prime minister to the Treasury committee ahead of his appearance before the committee on Thursday also included 11 telephone calls or conference calls.
MPs are about to start debating the Queen’s speech.
First Jill Mortimer, the new Conservative MP for Hartlepool, has formally taken her seat.
The government’s failure to bring forward details of its plans to reform adult social care in the Queen’s speech has triggered anger and frustration from the sector, amid warnings that hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people will be left without the support they need, my colleague Patrick Butler reports.
Related: Anger over failure in Queen’s speech to set out social care plans
All those who attended the scaled-back state opening of parliament had to have a negative Covid test before hand, and there were no horse-drawn carriages this year.
In the royal gallery, usually filled with people, there were just 34 seated guests – 17 peers and 17 MPs, socially-distanced and wearing masks.
Records of David Cameron’s intense lobbying efforts for Greensill Capital have been released, including the contents of text messages he sent Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, and Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, PA Media reports. PA says:
The Conservative former prime minister also sent messages to vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi during the pandemic as he sought to gain access for Greensill to government-backed coronavirus loans, it emerged on Tuesday.
MPs on the Commons Treasury committee released correspondence they have received by the subjects of their inquiry following Greensill Capital’s collapse, which jeopardised 5,000 steelmaking jobs in the UK.
The first time I became concerned that the company might be in serious financial difficulty was in December 2020 following a call I received from Lex Greensill, during which I was told that the company’s planned capital raising was not going as well as had been hoped.
Up until that point, I firmly believed that Greensill was in good financial health. In the autumn of 2020, I understood Greensill was on track for a relatively strong year financially and it had embarked upon what looked likely to be a successful capital raising.
The government has now published the 164-briefing document (pdf) giving details of all the legislation and plans referred to in the Queen’s speech.
The government is to launch a consultation on how best to protect LGBT people when it bans the “coercive and abhorrent practice” of conversion therapy. As the Government Equalities Office (GEO) says in a news release, the consultation will “seek further views from the public and key stakeholders to ensure that the ban can address the practice while protecting the medical profession; defending freedom of speech; and upholding religious freedom”. Following the consultation, the government intends to legislate when time is available.
There is no specific timeframe for the consultation but the government wants it to be “short and prompt”, the prime minister’s official spokesman said.
Andy Burnham has asked whether the lot of working class women in a “London-centric and male-dominated” parliament has really changed in 200 years, in veiled criticism of Labour’s treatment of Angela Rayner.
The comments follow an ongoing furious row within the party over the treatment of deputy leader, and Greater Manchester MP, Rayner, at the weekend. Leaked plans that she was to be sacked as party chair and national campaigns coordinator following Labour’s humiliating loss in the Hartlepool by-election, and the resulting outcry, overshadowed a more positive set of results for the party on Saturday, including Burnham’s re-election as mayor for Greater Manchester with an increased vote share.
Two hundred years on, have things really changed that much? Has the lot of working class people, working class women, really changed that much, once we’ve got those people into parliament and gave people the vote? I don’t think so actually, as someone who knows that world well, because we send people into a world that is still London-centric and male-dominated and, actually, that hasn’t really changed I don’t think in those years.
So where’s the new radicalism – the new Manchester radicalism? As we go forward, I don’t think it’s in putting people in parliament, it’s in taking power out of parliament and letting people here decide much more for themselves, and I think we’re beginning to see appetite now for real English devolution. Great cities like this [Manchester] being in charge of our own destiny, deciding what we think is right for the people here.
At the Downing Street lobby briefing, asked about Johnny Mercer’s claim that the government has broken a promise to protect veterans from prosecution in relation to historic cases in Northern Ireland (see 12.34pm), the prime minister’s spokesman said legislation would be introduced in due course.
Asked if that meant within the next 12 months, the spokesman said:
We want to do this promptly and we also want to make sure this is done properly. We have listened to a wide range of stakeholders since last March and we’ve also engaged substantially with the Irish government and the Northern Ireland parties on this issue and we will bring forward legislation in due course.
In his response to the Queen’s speech Ian Blackford, the SNP leader at Westminster, said:
Boris Johnson has completely failed to deliver the investment and change required to build a strong, fair and equal recovery. Instead the Tories are imposing the long-term damage of austerity cuts, Brexit and a power grab against Scotland’s will.
The Tories are repeating the same mistakes they made after the last economic crisis, by forcing through damaging cuts that are threatening Scotland’s recovery. Instead of building a fairer society, the Tories are entrenching inequality and pushing people into poverty by imposing a public sector pay freeze, cuts to universal credit, and an “efficiency review” of public services.
In a response to the Queen’s speech, Caroline Lucas, the Green MP, said the government’s plans for the climate crisis did not match the scale of the challenge. She said:
The prime minister’s talk about building a strong recovery from Covid will take us down the road to disaster unless it is a green recovery, focused on decarbonisation, creating sustainable businesses and jobs and accelerating the path to net zero.
The government also has to abandon the fixation with growth and recognise that prioritising GDP growth above all other measures is what is fuelling the climate and ecological crises. The warnings are coming thick and fast that we have to change our approach, moving to an economic model which prioritises wellbeing and the health of people and planet.
Johnny Mercer,who was sacked as veterans minister recently before he resigned over the government failing in his view to honour its promise to protect Northern Ireland veterans from prosecutions over historical cases, has accused ministers of going back on a promise to include a bill in the Queen’s speech. He has posted this on Twitter.
I was personally promised this on a number of occasions. It was never delivered. Hence I resigned.
My successor promised it would be in the Queens Speech. It is not. At some stage, we must fulfil our promises to our Veterans. pic.twitter.com/Tzg4Wgqepc
I would like to confirm to the house that a bill will soon come forward from the Northern Ireland Office that will protect our Northern Ireland veterans of Operation Banner and address the legacy of the Troubles.
The higher education (freedom of speech) bill promised in the Queen’s speech will allow people to seek compensation in the courts if they “suffer loss as a result of the breach of freedom of speech duties” imposed on universities, according to the government’s briefing. As the Mirror’s Dan Bloom argues, this suggests far right speakers could be compensated if they get “cancelled”.
Far-right get compensation for being 'cancelled' in culture war Queen's Speechhttps://t.co/u0BUpGyMU5
The Liberal Democrats have issued this verdict on the Queen’s speech from Sir Ed Davey, the party leader. He said:
We must rebuild as a fairer, greener and more caring country in the aftermath of Covid. So it is crushingly disappointing that the government’s plans will fail on every account – still failing small businesses and the self-employed, still not rising properly to the climate challenge and still ignoring millions of people caring for loved ones at home.
Their planning reforms will rip powers away from local people and communities in favour of wealthy property developers, threatening our environment and treasured green spaces. Their cruel asylum plans will stop people fleeing violence and persecution, from seeking sanctuary in the UK. And long delayed reforms to social care have been pushed back into the long grass once again, despite the pressures we have seen on care homes and carers this last year.
From Tom Newton Dunn from Times Radio
What's NOT in the Queen's Speech? Three big omissions:
- no bill to end veteran troops prosecutions in NI, just a vague offer of "legislation”
- no promise to legislate on social care, just "proposals will be brought forward”
- the long awaited online harms bill is just draft
Dafydd Wigley, a former leader of Plaid Cymru and a member of the House of Lords, says the Queen’s speech should have made it clear that much of the legislation mentioned only covers England.
The Government must really get their act together in formulating the Queen's Speech. A whole raft of legislation listed in ty be Speech will only relate to England but this was not made clear. Surely wrong for the Government to put words into the Queen's mouth that are misleading
A new flag was flying above the Houses of Parliament today – a House of Commons flag. Featuring a gold portcullis on a green background, it was designed by the UK’s national flag charity, the Flag Institute, and it was being used today for the first time. Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons Speaker, said:
I want people to feel the warmth of our hospitality from the moment they pass through Carriage Gates and into New Palace Yard.
So, the flying of the House of Commons flag, next to the union flag and other flags marking significant national events or Commonwealth national days, sends that important message of welcome.
This is from David Lammy, the shadow justice minister, on the Queen’s speech.
The @Conservatives have promised a Victims’ Bill in almost every Queen’s Speech since 2016.
Yet five years on, their bill still has not appeared in Parliament.@UKLabour has its Victims' Bill published, brought to Parliament, and ready to go.
Here is our news story about the Queen’s speech, by my colleagues Peter Walker and Lisa O’Carroll.
Related: Queen’s speech unveils Johnson’s plans on free speech, policing and voter ID
MPs are now back in the House of Commons. The sitting will now be suspended until the opening of the Queen’s speech debate at 2.30pm.
The Queen says:
Members of the House of Commons
Estimates for the public services will be laid before you.
The Queen says:
My ministers will provide our gallant armed forces with the biggest spending increase in thirty years, taking forward their programme of modernisation and reinforcing the United Kingdom’s commitment to NATO. My ministers will honour and strengthen the Armed Forces Covenant, placing it in law. Measures will be introduced to provide national insurance contribution relief for employers of veterans.
Legislation will be introduced to counter hostile activity by foreign states. My ministers will implement the integrated review of security, defence, development and foreign policy.
The Queen says:
Legislation will increase sentences for the most serious and violent offenders and ensure the timely administration of justice. Proposals will be brought forward to address violence, including against women and girls, and to support victims. Measures will be brought forward to establish a fairer immigration system that strengthens the United Kingdom’s borders and deters criminals who facilitate dangerous and illegal journeys.
My government will lead the way in ensuring internet safety for all, especially for children, whilst harnessing the benefits of a free, open and secure internet.
The Queen says:
My Government will invest in new green industries to create jobs, while protecting the environment. The United Kingdom is committed to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and will continue to lead the way internationally by hosting the COP26 Summit in Glasgow. Legislation will set binding environmental targets. Legislation will also be brought forward to ensure the United Kingdom has, and promotes, the highest standards of animal welfare.
My government will strengthen and renew democracy and the constitution. Legislation will be introduced to ensure the integrity of elections, protect freedom of speech and restore the balance of power between the executive, legislature and the courts. My ministers will promote the strength and integrity of the union. Measures will be brought forward to strengthen devolved government in Northern Ireland and address the legacy of the past.
The Queen says:
Measures will be brought forward to ensure that children have the best start in life, prioritising their early years. My ministers will address lost learning during the pandemic and ensure every child has a high quality education and is able to fulfil their potential.
My government will help more people to own their own home whilst enhancing the rights of those who rent. Laws to modernise the planning system, so that more homes can be built, will be brought forward, along with measures to end the practice of ground rents for new leasehold properties. My ministers will establish in law a new building safety regulator to ensure that the tragedies of the past are never repeated.
The Queen says:
My government will ensure that the public finances are returned to a sustainable path once the economic recovery is secure.
The Queen says:
My government will strengthen the economic ties across the union, investing in and improving national infrastructure. Proposals will be taken forward to transform connectivity by rail and bus and to extend 5G mobile coverage and gigabit capable broadband.
Legislation will support a lifetime skills guarantee to enable flexible access to high quality education and training throughout people’s lives.
All were agreed on one thing, however: HS2 is not the solution. Fundamentally, everyone believed that HS2’s aim had been to enable spoilt Londoners to move around the country with greater ease. Several of the Red Wallers I met had never been to London, and those that had had typically only visited for an occasional family holiday to see the sights or take in a West End show. They had no problem at all with the speed with which they could currently get from where they lived to the capital.
The Queen says:
My ministers will oversee the fastest ever increase in public funding for research and development and pass legislation to establish an advanced research agency.
Following the unprecedented support provided to businesses during the pandemic, proposals will be brought forward to create and support jobs and improve regulation.
The Queen says:
My government will protect the health of the nation, continuing the vaccination programme and providing additional funding to support the NHS. My ministers will bring forward legislation to empower the NHS to innovate and embrace technology. Patients will receive more tailored and preventative care, closer to home. Measures will be brought forward to support the health and wellbeing of the nation, including to tackle obesity and improve mental health. Proposals on social care reform will be brought forward.
My government will build on the success of the vaccination programme to lead the world in life sciences, pioneering new treatments against diseases like cancer and securing jobs and investment across the country.
Related: The Guardian view on NHS reorganisation: the need to integrate | Editorial
The Queen starts:
My Lords and Members of the House of Commons.
My government’s priority is to deliver a national recovery from the pandemic that makes the United Kingdom stronger, healthier and more prosperous than before.
Truth be told, levelling up is a poor slogan. It has never done very well in our focus groups – people find it confusing and then, when it’s explained to them, mildly irritating. They don’t think they’re ‘levelled down’, they think they’re ignored. Equally, they find the idea that in four years they’re suddenly going to become London and the South East bizarre – it’s not what they want, and they don’t think it’s credible.
MPs are now in the Lords, standing at the back. So the Queen can start.
Sir Keir Starmer is following Boris Johnson at what looks like a healthy two metres behind. He has not even gone for one metre plus, even though they are wearing masks. That spares the two of them the ordeal of having to make small talks with the cameras rolling.
Black Rod summons the MPs. There is no Denis Skinner in the Commons anymore, so no quips (or at least none we could hear from the TV footage).
Black Rod, Sarah Clarke, is heading for the Commons to summon MPs to hear the Queen’s speech.
The Queen is on the throne. She invites peers to be seated.
The Queen is now being escorted to the throne in the House of Lords by Prince Charles.
The Queen is on her way to Westminster now for the state opening.
The priceless Imperial State Crown has left Buckingham Palace with other regalia on its way to the Palace of Westminster, PA Media reports. It is made of more than 3,000 gemstones and weighs two pounds and 13 ounces, and was carried to the state opening by car. The Queen will not wear the heavy crown - the last time she did so was in 2016.
More people died with Covid in care homes in England and Wales in the second wave of the Covid pandemic than the first.
Figures released by the ONS this morning show that, while the rise in coronavirus deaths among care home residents was much sharper during the first wave, the absolute number of deaths attributed to the virus and the proportion of Covid deaths was higher in the second wave.
Lisa Nandy, the shadow foreign secretary, said today the government should be defending the UK’s democracy from foreign interference rather than making it harder for people in the country to vote by making photo ID compulsory. She told Sky News:
We have got to defend our democracy robustly but I just think it’s really bizarre coming from this Government that they have made it so much more difficult for people in this country to vote over recent years, but they have taken absolutely no action to defend our democracy from attacks overseas.
It has been 18 months since the prime minister was handed a report that said that Russia in particular was interfering in our democracy, a series of recommendations in that report, and not a single one has been implemented.
Senior Conservatives have been saying the government should use the Queen’s speech to address the social care crisis.
Jeremy Hunt, the former health secretary, told Radio 4’s Today programme:
I’m hoping to hear that we will introduce a cap on people’s care costs, because around one in 10 of us will have catastrophically high care costs.
It’s an incredible worry for people. It’s a lottery. You don’t know - that could be you.
The root of all this is we all agree you have to spend more money on social care, we have got a slightly threadbare system now.
Where that money comes from is why it has proved so politically difficult over the decades.
Good morning. Today it’s the Queen’s speech, setting out the government’s legislative agenda for the next year. To a large extent it’s a ceremonial occasion - the Queen turns up, of course (although social distancing means the flummery will be toned down a bit this year) and the debate in the Commons is expected to feature a lot of jokes - but it also allows the prime minister to highlight his priorities for the year ahead. The speech itself rarely contains any surprises (legislation does not appear out of nowhere, and so the bills have almost always been previewed) and it may not even be a very good guide to what will actually happen (there was no Coronavirus Act in the last Queen’s speech). But, still, it’s a moment to take stock.
Here is our overnight preview.
Related: Queen’s speech to focus on adult learning and easing planning rules
Overall, the numbers paint a positive picture, with nearly half of the government’s manifesto commitments completed or on track. But there are six key policy areas where sizeable, difficult work remains: NHS and social care, ‘levelling up’, net zero, devolution, tax and fiscal strategy, and the constitution ...
These numbers do not give the full picture. Many of the pledges the government has already completed involved spending, conducting reviews or promises not to do things – many that remain will require more concerted action. Precious little progress has been made, for example, on finding a funding solution for social care – an aim left unrealised by successive governments, and one that this government appears set to push back again. Elsewhere, ahead of the COP26 UN climate summit in November, which the UK is hosting, much is to be done to bring the country on track to meet its own carbon emission targets. And with independence remaining on the agenda in Scotland, talk of a border poll in Northern Ireland and growing support for independence in Wales, its quest to “bind together the whole of the United Kingdom” will be harder than simply replacing EU grants to the devolved nations. In all, there are 55 pledges the government has yet to tackle, 15 deemed at risk of failure, one delayed and four it has abandoned.
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