And she won’t oversee Queen’s Speech

THE Queen’s Speech will not be presided over by Theresa May, it emerged last night.

The parliamentary set-piece outlining the Government’s legislative agenda had been expected this summer.

But Downing Street signalled yesterday that the next speech will be delayed until a Brexit deal has been passed, after which Mrs May has pledged to stand down as Prime Minister.

A Whitehall source told the BBC’s Newsnight: ‘It is very unlikely Theresa May will preside over a substantive Queen’s Speech.

‘It will be for the next prime minister to set out their substantive agenda for the next phase of policymaking.’ The last Queen’s Speech was in June 2017, when an extended two-year parliamentary session was introduced in order to deal with Brexit.

But ministers fear that, with the DUP opposed to Mrs May’s Brexit deal, they could struggle to pass a Queen’s Speech – potentially heralding the collapse of the Government.

Asked when the next Queen’s Speech would be, the Prime Minister’s spokesman said the Government was focused on passing the withdrawal bill, which implements the Brexit deal with the EU. He said: ‘That is part of the current Queen’s Speech cycle.’