At 11:30am on Wednesday the 21st of June 2017, Parliamentarians experienced a visit from the Queen to deliver the Queen’s speech. This traditional practice, which takes place at the state opening of Parliament holds much political significance. The speech seemed to provide much needed guidance on Brexit, stating that “a bill will be introduced to repeal the European Communities Act 1972”. This means the UK will no longer be bound by European laws – which are legislated by the European Parliament in Brussels.
Nigel Evans, MP for the Ribble Valley, stated on Brexit, “The British people have voted to leave the European Union. It is a simple choice. I am fully committed to leaving the EU and ensuring both the British people, and EU citizens living in the UK receive a good deal”. The negotiation process commenced on Monday 19th of June 2017.
The Queen’s speech contained the policies set out by the Conservative government in their manifesto. However not every policy in the manifesto was mentioned in the speech, and will not be implemented in this term. One such example being the social care policy, which is being reviewed.
Mr Evans has previously shown his disapproval at this area of the manifesto, describing it as a “full frontal attack on the elderly, which is unnecessary and unfair in nature”.
Overall, Mr Evans was content with the Queen’s Speech, stating: “I am pleased to see that the poison within our manifesto was not mentioned in the Queen’s Speech, it is promising to see that the concerns of both MP’s and the public alike has been taken on-board by the Prime Minister. We now have to move forward with negotiating the best Brexit for Britain.”
Concerning the topic of employment and the economy, Mr Evans said; “the rate of unemployment in Ribble Valley is just 1%. That puts it in the top 10% of constituencies for low unemployment and demonstrates the success of local businesses in our area. Nationally there are 1.9 million more people in work since 2010 and 760,000 more businesses. That’s 1.9 million more people with the security of a regular pay packet and means that Britain is creating jobs faster than any other developed country. This contributes massively to the economic growth of the country, which the government will continue to improve by working to attract investment in infrastructure as well as introduce legislation to ensure that the United Kingdom remains a world leader in new industries.”