Brexit news: Boris Johnson unveils ‘book of Trump’ agenda to prevent courts challenging government and make voter ID mandatory
All the latest developments as they happened
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Your support makes all the difference.Boris Johnson has unveiled plans for new photo ID requirement at polling stations, sparking the move is designed to suppress voting by young people and disadvantaged groups.
The Queen’s Speech also revealed a Royal Commission on the criminal justice system and separate review of every aspect of the post-Brexit constitutional settlement – condemned by Labour as “vindictive revenge” for his defeat in the prorogation case and “another play from the Book of Trump”.
Meanwhile Emily Thornberry, the first figure to declare she is standing for the Labour leadership, has attacked Jeremy Corbyn’s closest aides – and questioned why they were not “under threat” of losing their roles in the leaders’ office.
The Queen’s speech: immigration and judicial reform high on agenda
Her Majesty has now finished speaking, after just under 10 minutes. The Queen’s speech sounds very much like a re-hash of the Tory party’s election campaign pledges, with the government agenda featuring a “modern, fair points-based immigration system” that will “welcome skilled workers from across the world”.
Her Majesty stated: “My government will ensure those charged with knife possession face swift justice,” and there is to be “new sentencing laws will make sure the most serious violent offenders, including terrorists, serve longer in custody”.
There is also to be measures to protect tenants, improve building safety and boost home ownership, measures to “support working families” – with rises in the National Insurance threshold and an and increase in the National Living Wage.
The government also wants to increase levels of funding per pupil in every school, a national skills fund, and new laws to accelerate the delivery of gigabit capable broadband.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles (AFP)
First Royal Commission into criminal justice system for almost 30 years
There will be a Royal Commission review of the criminal justice system. Pledged in the Conservative party’s manifesto and announced in the Queen’s speech, it will aimed at improve “efficiency and effectiveness”.
“The commission’s recommendations should help deliver improvements to the criminal justice process to make it more efficient and effective”, the government said.
The scope and duration of the inquiry, and the figures leading it, will be set out in due course. It is the first time a Royal Commission of this kind has been launched since 1991.
Boris Johnson wants officials to ditch term ‘Brexit’
The prime minister has reportedly told his officials to stop using the term “Brexit” after the UK formally leaves the EU at the end of January.
Johnson is said to be so desperate to make sure voters believe Brexit is “done” that No 10 won’t refer to the idea of a trade agreement with the EU as a “deal” in 2020 – in case it undermines the idea the Brexit deal has already been done.
One government source told The Huffington Post: “Once we’re out on January 31 that’s it. The deal is done and after that it’s all about the future relationship.”
PM: Queen’s Speech ‘most radical in a generation’
The government unveiled plans for a historic overhaul of the UK’s constitution, democratic institutions and justice system which Boris Johnson described as “the most radical… in a generation”.
There will be review of every aspect of the post-Brexit constitutional settlement, and a Royal Commission on the criminal justice system.
Shadow attorney general Shami Chakrabarti said today: “This looks like a vindictive revenge for his defeat in the Supreme Court when he shut down parliament illegally. It’s another play from the Book of Trump and decent people of all parties and none must resist.
“It’s another play from the Book of Trump and decent people of all parties and none must resist.”
Our political editor has more:
Green MP dismisses government’s ‘empty claims’ on climate leadership
Caroline Lucas, the Green party’s sole MP and former leader of her party, criticised the government agenda set out in the Queen’s Speech.
“We’ve had promises on social care before, again and again,” she tweeted. “I find (Boris Johnson's) proposed constitution, democracy & rights commission very worrying. There must be no attack on our judiciary.
“Empty claims of world leadership on climate won’t make us the ‘greenest country on Earth’, as the PM has promised. That requires urgent climate action - a 2050 target date just doesn’t cut it.”
PM waters down plans to help homebuyers by ending sales as leaseholds
The housing secretary Robert Jenrick has claimed the Queen’s Speech “delivers for home-buyers, renters and will make sure that people are safe in their homes”.
But as our correspondent Ashley Cowburn has taken a looking at the housing pledges, and finds the government has watered down commitments to end the sale of new homes as leaseholds and tackle the exploitative arrangement for homebuyers.
All the details here:
Brexit department will close at the end of January
The Department for Exiting the European Union will close on January 31, government sources have confirmed.
Britain is scheduled to leave the EU on the same day, and will then enter a transition period until December 2020.
The prime minister has reportedly told his officials he wants to stop using the term “Brexit” after the UK formally leaves the EU at the end of next month.
Government backs parliamentary bill to take HS2 past Birmingham
The government will legislate to take the HS2 rail line north past Birmingham, under plans brought forward on the day of the Queen's Speech.
The rail reform and High Speed Rail 2 (West Midlands – Crewe) Bill was included in Thursday's legislative programme, in a blow opponents of the project who had hoped to see it scrapped.
Downing Street says the new legislation will give the government the powers to acquire the land needed for the railway, build it, and operate it.
PM announces new law to stop foreign spies and biggest overhaul of foreign policy 'since the Cold War'
A new law to disrupt foreign spies in the wake of the Salisbury attack has been announced by Boris Johnson – alongside a vow of the biggest overhaul of foreign policy “since the Cold War”.
The legislation – designed to shut legal loopholes believed to allow potential enemy powers to operate in the UK – was first unveiled by Theresa May but shelved because of Brexit.
Now the Queen's Speech pledges to revive the legislation, although it is not an immediate bill, making it unclear when it will come into effect.
It promises to “provide security services and law enforcement agencies with the tools they need to disrupt hostile state activity”.
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