What was in the Queen's speech and why was it important?
The Queen's Speech marks the beginning of the Parliamentary year
Last updated 11th May 2021
The Queen's Speech took place at Westminster today, as Her Majesty carried out her first event since her husband, Prince Philip, died last month.
In the speech which lasted less than 10 minutes, the Queen highlighted the Government's agenda for the coming months.
This included its intentions to give more powers to police to shut down protests in England and Wales, the introduction of the Environmental Bill and structural changes to NHS England.
The Queen was accompanied by her son, the Prince of Wales and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall.
What is the Queen's Speech?
The Queen's Speech marks the beginning of the Parliamentary year and allows the Government to set out its agenda for the coming months.
It's important because it outlines what Boris Johnson's Government plans to do over the next few months and the laws it wants to implement.
The Queen reads out the laws that the Government wants Parliament to approve in front of MPs.
The Government tells the Queen what to say. As Head of State, she must remain an impartial figure.
While it is usually a fairly grand affair with the Queen arriving at Westminster by carriage, this year she arrived via car and fewer people attended, due to pandemic restrictions.
What was included in this year's Queen Speech?
Thirty bills were announced during the speech, including:
- Legislation which means voters will be required to prove their identity using ID at polling stations
- A Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill which will give police in England and Wales more power to shut down protests
- An Environment Bill to set legally binding environmental targets ahead of Cop26 climate change summit
- A Borders Bill to discourage migrants from crossing the English Channel
- Plans to implement changes to the structure of NHS England
- A Skills and Post-16 Education Bill to overhaul the adult education system in England
- A Building Safety Bill looking to introduce a new system of safety regulations for buildings following Grenfell fire
- An Animal Sentience Bill will give animals “with a backbone” the “right” to have their feelings recognised in law.
- Legislation to limit the prosecutions of UK soldiers who fought in Northern Ireland during the troubles
- A bill which will give the Prime Minister power to hold early General Elections
Some of these proposals have already proved controversial, including the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill which sparked Kill the Bill protests across the UK earlier this year.