Tag: Queen’s Speech

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack comments on the Queen’s Speech

Alister Jack, Secretary of State for Scotland, comments on how the Queen’s Speech will deliver for Scotland as we Build Back Better from the pandemic.

“This is a Queen’s Speech which delivers for people in Scotland, and right across the United Kingdom, as we focus entirely on recovering our economy and our public services from the devastating effects of the Covid pandemic.

“The Prime Minister and the UK Government have been working tirelessly on the pandemic, putting in place an unprecedented level of financial support, and securing millions of vaccine doses for people in all parts of the country. At all times we have prioritised both lives and livelihoods.

“The UK Government will continue to lead our recovery from the pandemic, as we Build Back Better and level up opportunities right across the UK.

“We will continue to support top level R&D, encourage our businesses to innovate, and create vital new and green jobs. We will invest directly in Scotland’s communities, building on the success of our £1.5 billion City Deals programme with Freeports, better connectivity, and a new UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

“And Scotland’s businesses will continue to benefit as, outside of the EU, we strike new trade deals around the world.”

Mandatory voter ID will make it harder for millions of ordinary people to vote

Electoral Reform Society: Stop plans for Voter ID

The government have just announced in the Queen’s Speech that they will legislate to make it harder for millions of ordinary people to vote.

Demanding ID at the doors of every polling station is a solution in search of a problem. Voting is safe and secure in the UK, meaning this policy is just an unnecessary barrier to democratic participation. Ministers need to listen to these concerns and drop these costly plans.

URGENT: Sign and share today →

At a cost of up to £20m per election, mandatory ID is an expensive distraction and the wrong priority right now. These proposals should be dropped before they damage political equality in the UK.

3.5 million people lack photo ID in this country. These proposals will make it harder to vote for huge numbers of voters, locking ordinary people out of our democracy and unfairly discriminating against those who lack ID. 

Rather than inventing problems, the government should focus on the real issues in politics – including the nine million people missing from the electoral roll, and the glaring loopholes in our lobbying laws.

Groups representing millions of people – from homelessness charities, pensioners’ groups, LGBT+ campaigners and civil liberties activists – are sounding the alarm about these plans. 

Sign the petition and urge ministers to listen. 


Best wishes,
Willie Sullivan,
Senior Director,
Electoral Reform Society

A ‘One Nation’ Queen’s Speech?

‘The Queen’s Speech 2015 will be a clear programme for working people, social justice and bringing our country together’ 

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Ahead of today’s Queen’s Speech Prime Minister David Cameron said:

“Behind this Queen’s Speech is a clear vision for what our country can be. A country of security and opportunity for everyone, at every stage of life.

“That is our ambition. To build a country where whoever you are and wherever you live you can have the chance of a good education, a decent job, a home of your own and the peace of mind that comes from being able to raise a family and enjoy a secure retirement.

“A country that backs those who work hard and do the right thing.

“This is the Queen’s Speech for working people from a ‘one nation’ government that will bring our country together.

“We have a mandate from the British people, a clear manifesto and the instruction to deliver. And we will not waste a single moment in getting on with the task.”

Queen’s Speech: ‘UK Government will continue to deliver for people across Scotland’

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This year’s Queen’s Speech contains a range of measures designed to support families, firms and fairness across Scotland, the Scottish Secretary said today. Nine of the eleven new Bills will apply in Scotland, in a speech which reiterated the commitment of the UK Government of making the case for Scotland to stay in the UK.

The UK Government’s legislative programme was announced during the State Opening of Parliament and contains measures to support families with childcare costs, small businesses with access to finance and give pensioners greater freedom to access their savings.

Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael said: “We are building on strong foundations for a prosperous and exciting future in Scotland. This legislation will help improve the lives of people across the country and lend a helping hand to working families and the businesses at the heart of our economy.

“At the same time we will further support the North Sea industry and give Scotland’s pensioners security and flexibility over their retirement funds. It is a comprehensive package for Scotland and I welcome the positive changes it will bring.”

Legislation such as the Childcare Payments Bill will see around 160,000 families in Scotland eligible for help with their childcare costs, up to a maximum of £2,000 per year for each child. Some 325,000 small and medium-sized businesses in Scotland will benefit from the Small Businesses Bill, making it easier for firms to access finance.

It also focuses on maximising North Sea resources, powers to tackle serious crime across the UK and support for Armed Forces charities.

This parliamentary Session will also see the Government affirm its commitment to devolution by commencing vital provisions of the Scotland Act 2012.

This is the last legislative programme before both September’s referendum and the General Election in 2015 and the Westminster government says it underlines their commitment to economic growth and deficit reduction.

However both Labour and the SNP say today’s Queen’s Speech was a missed opportunity – although for different reasons. Labour leader Ed Miliband said the speech failed to match the scale of the challenges Britain faces and Labour’s Shadow Scottish Secretary Margaret Curran said Scotland was being let down by both the UK and Scottish governments.

Ms Curran added: “We have an SNP Scottish government that is so obsessed with the referendum that they aren’t doing anything else, and a Tory-led UK government that has run out of ideas.”

The SNP’s Shadow Scottish Secretary Angus Robertson said: “The absence of any mention at all of the Westminster parties’ plans for Scotland in the Queen’s speech is extraordinary. Not even Air Passenger Duty was mentioned, even though this could be transferred to the Scottish Parliament now, as the Tories admitted this week.

“In this – the year of the biggest opportunity in Scotland’s history – Scotland hardly even gets a nod at Westminster, and not a single mention of future plans for improving government in Scotland.”

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