Queen’s speech – live: No detail on cost-of-living help, as Charles delivers address

Andy McDonald, Labour MP, has called the legislation announced in the Queen’s Speech ”reactionary” and “authoritarian”.

The Middlesborough MP also took to Twitter to express his dismay at the lack of measures to support households struggling during the devastating cost of living crisis.

Liz Saville Roberts MP, Plaid Cymru Westminster Leader, has today said that the Queen’s Speech was a “disappointing series of platitudes by a government utterly detached from reality”.

The speech, written by the UK Government and delivered by Prince Charles in the Queen’s absence, failed to mention Wales once.

She said: “This Queen’s Speech was a disappointing series of platitudes by a government utterly detached from reality. This legislative programme will do nothing to address the worsening cost-of-living crisis and will only deepen divisions by persevering with an increasingly authoritarian agenda.

“After a bruising election result for the Conservatives, the Prime Minister ought to have taken a step back and recognised that the people of Wales have completely lost faith in his government and reject his divisive agenda. What we needed was an emergency package to provide much needed support to households and small businesses, and accelerate our green transition.

“Wales was not mentioned once in today’s speech – proof yet again that this tired government has nothing to offer to the people of Wales. It is in sharp contrast with plans announced by Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Government today to create a stronger, more equal and more representative parliament for Wales. It is increasingly clear that we should look to our Senedd, not to Westminster, for solutions.”

Prime minister Boris Johnson and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer pictured walking together ahead of Queen’s Speech at the State Opening of Parliament.

The Government has been accused of “turning its back” on workers after a promised Employment Bill was excluded from the Queen’s Speech.

Unions and Labour criticised Prime Minister Boris Johnson, accusing him of “fobbing off” working people.

Unions have been expecting legislation for years, saying a Bill is needed to tackle insecure work and improve conditions for workers.

TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said bad bosses will be celebrating the absence of an Employment Bill, adding: “The Prime Minister promised to make Britain the best place in the world to work, but he has turned his back on working people.

“No Employment Bill means vital rights that ministers had promised – like default flexible working, fair tips and protection from pregnancy discrimination – risk being ditched for good.

“It means no action on the scourge of insecure work and ending exploitative practices like zero-hours contracts and fire and rehire.

“After the P&O scandal, dragging our outdated labour laws into the 21st century has never been more urgent, but, by shelving the Employment Bill, ministers have sent a signal that they are happy for rogue employers to ride roughshod over workers’ rights.

“This is a Government that just doesn’t get it – from the cost-of-living emergency to the insecure work epidemic.”

Proposals seeking to overturn section 21 of the 1988 Housing Act, which allows landlords to evict tenants without reason and with just eight weeks’ notice, were first outlined by Theresa May back in April 2019.

The pledge was also included in Mr Johnson’s 2019 election manifesto, with a vow to introduce a Renters’ Reform Bill at the Queen’s Speech the same year – some 29 months ago.

The government will push ahead with legislation to allow the gene editing of animals and crops in a bid to improve Britain’s agricultural productivity.

Gene editing is considered to pose less risk that genetic modification (GM) since it does not involve the introduction DNA from another species.

But the practice is still controversial, with campaigners warning about potential safety implications from a “high-tech free-for-all”.

The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill outlined in the Queen’s Speech is aimed at promoting “efficient” farming and food production – stripping out rules inherited from the EU after Brexit.

My colleague Adam Forrest reports.

Proposals seeking to overturn section 21 of the 1988 Housing Act, which allows landlords to evict tenants without reason and with just eight weeks’ notice, were first outlined by Theresa May back in April 2019.

The pledge was also included in Mr Johnson’s 2019 election manifesto, with a vow to introduce a Renters’ Reform Bill at the Queen’s Speech the same year – some 29 months ago.

A plan to introduce legislation aimed at ending the prosecutions of veterans over Troubles-related killings and other legacy cases has been revealed.

It will also see an independent commission set up to help families find out what happened to loved ones in legacy cases involving former members of the security forces and ex-paramilitaries, Adam Forrest writes.

A Brexit Freedoms Bill in today’s Queen’s Speech promises to “seize the benefits” of EU withdrawal by making it easier to relax regulations – but gives no examples of Brussels rules the government would scrap.

Six years after the UK voted to leave the EU and two years after its formal withdrawal, Boris Johson’s government has yet to deliver the bonfire of Brussels red tape promised by the Leave campaign.

Brexit opportunities minister Jacob Rees-Mogg was reduced to appealing to newspaper readers for ideas on what rules and regulations could be reformed or abolished.