May opts for one Queen’s Speech to cover two years

Break with tradition aimed at allowing full Brexit debate, but Opposition attacks it as move to bolster Government

THERESA MAY last night cancelled the 2018 Queen’s Speech to smooth the path for Brexit reforms as a deal with the DUP hangs in the balance.

The Prime Minister announced that a two-year parliamentary session will be launched on Wednesday rather than the traditional one-year session.

The step breaks with historical precedent and was last taken in the early days of the Coalition as it scrambled to create stable government in 2010.

Government sources insisted the move was planned before the election and would give time for laws needed for Brexit to be fully debated.

However, opposition figures with a knowledge of parliamentary proce- dure claimed that the move was an attempt to shore up Mrs May’s position after she failed to win a majority.

The Prime Minister’s new Government is dependent on the support of 10 DUP MPs to remain in place because the Tories lost seats at the snap election.

The Queen’s Speech, which lays out the laws that ministers want to pass in the coming year, is a major moment in the parliamentary diary. It is seen as a critical test for the Government and failure to win the backing of a majority of MPs is seen as a vote of no confidence. By cancelling the 2018 Queen’s Speech, Mrs May removes a vote that could have brought down her Government.

Andrea Leadsom, Leader of the Commons, said: “Whilst our top priority right now is supporting the victims of the terrible tragedy at Grenfell tower, we also need to look ahead by setting out a legislative programme that not only delivers a successful EU exit but also a domestic agenda which aims to tackle the social injustices in our country.

“The UK the years preparing for our departure from the European Union in a way that best places us to realise the opportunities ahead and build a fairer society.”

The Queen’s Speech will include the Great Repeal Bill, legislation that will convert all EU law into UK law.

New laws on immigration will be announced, while counter-terrorism proposals in the wake of three terror attacks this year are also expected.

However, Tory MPs think that many of the domestic reforms outlined in their manifesto just weeks ago will be shelved because they will not get through the hung parliament.

A “confidence and supply” deal with the DUP, where the party would agree to back the Tories in no confidence votes and the Budget, has yet to be finalised. Sources on both sides said the talks were progressing well and indicated that they hoped to complete a deal before the Queen’s Speech.

However, there is concern on Tory backbenches about a pact with the DUP and its impact on talks about power-sharing in Northern Ireland.