Queen Elizabeth II to reveal UK government's post-COVID-19 pandemic agenda

UK’s Queen Elizabeth II on May 11 (local time) will be making her first public appearance since the funeral of her late husband, Prince Philip, to open the new session of parliament and present the British government’s post-COVID-19 pandemic legislative agenda. The Queen’s speech on Tuesday will provide the UK government with an opportunity to highlight its priorities for the months ahead and reveal the laws it wants to pass. The monarch’s address forms part of the State Opening of Parliament ceremony that marks the start of the parliamentary year. 

Queen will deliver the speech from the throne of the House of Lords and is written for her by government ministers and normally, it lasts about 10 minutes. Usually, the British monarch travels from Buckingham Palace to Westminster, often by carriage. However, in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, as per BBC report, Queen will arrive in a Bentley limousine and the ceremonial elements will also be greatly restricted. A handful of people will be allowed to attend the event in person only after producing a negative COVID-19 test and wearing facemasks at all times.

What will be in the Queen's Speech?

In the speech that reveals the groundwork of the UK government’s future proposals and works, Queen Elizabeth II as per the BBC report, will include over 25 bills or proposed pieces of legislation. These will reportedly include several from the current parliamentary session that the government has confirmed and will be carried over to the next year.

As per the report, the bills would include the much-delayed Environment Bill on post-Brexit rules to protect nature amid climate crisis. Further, she would also mention the controversial Police, Crime, Sentencing, and Courts Bill that triggered nationwide protests was even debated by UK MPs this year. In other contents of her speech, the UK monarch would mention the bills announced in the 2019 speech that took place on December 19 but were not introduced in the parliament such as Employment Bill on new workers’ rights.

Sunday Times reported that Queen would introduce a ‘Skills and Post-16 Education Bill’ that will ensure a “lifetime skills guarantee" among the new plans of the UK government, building up adult education and training. An ‘Animal Sentience Bill’ will also promise creatures with backbones the “right” to have their feelings recognised law, as per Sunday Telegraph. The bill would also ban imports of hunting trophies and prohibit people from keeping primates as pets.

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