Sector reaction to the Queen’s… or Prince Charles’ speech for State Opening of Parliament

Today was the State Opening of Parliament, which begins the parliamentary year. The speech is usually delivered by the Queen, but the 96-year-old monarch has pulled out of the event this year due to “episodic mobility issues”. So the speech was delivered by Prince Charles in her absence. This is slightly confusing, as everyone is still referring to the speech as the ‘Queen’s Speech’, but it was actually delivered by Prince Charles who delivered the speech for the State Opening of Parliament today.

This was only the third time when the Queen has not delivered the speech in her 70 year reign, she previously couldn’t deliver the opening speech setting the Government’s plans, when she was pregnant with Prince Andrew and Prince Edwards. So this was a significant development.

The Speech covered 38 new pieces of legislation.

What is the sector reaction to the State Opening of Parliament announcements?

In response to the Queen’s speech, Anthony Painter, Director of Policy and External Affairs at CMI, said:

“Government legislation should rise to the major challenges of the age, so it’s good to see framework legislation for levelling up and energy policy getting prime billing in a context of geo-political instability, climate change, and a cost of living crisis. 

“To face the future we need a funding system in place to support upskilling and re-skilling across careers – not least at higher technical levels. The LLE as part of the HE Bill has huge potential as long as the gov keeps supporting high-quality apprenticeships as well.  

“The absence of an employment bill, given what we have discovered over the past two years about the importance of good work, including rights to flexible working and pay gap reporting and action, is a surprising omission. 

“Far more policy innovation and action on the future of work is needed in the near future. We know that the best management prioritises good work as it supports both employees and their employers. Policy needs to provide a strong underpinning for future improvements.”

Comment from Kirstie Donnelly MBE, CEO of City & Guilds:

“As the economy continues to recover and rebuild itself, reshaped by the challenges of the past few years, it is vital that adult skills are top of the agenda. After all, with the skills businesses need rapidly evolving now and in the decades to come, we need to ensure we have the mechanisms in place that allow people to learn, train and remain employable throughout their lives. 

“So, it is encouraging to hear Prince Charles, in his delivery of today’s Queen’s Speech, state that the Government will make positive – and long overdue – steps towards building a stronger and future-minded lifelong skills system, which places a greater emphasis on further and adult education. However, it’s vital that the Lifelong Loan Entitlement is flexible and easy to engage with, and that it enables and empowers joined up pathways in the education system, instead of creating further divides.

“If we’re to make real, positive changes to our national skills system, the Lifelong Loan Entitlement needs to support a long-term, strategic approach to system design. We need to reinforce the value of education at all levels and ages, where all those involved – learners, providers, education institutions and employers – are clear about their roles and responsibilities within the system and how they can re-engage with learning in ways that benefit them, the labour market and the economy.”

Gavin Mee, Managing Director, Northern Europe, UiPath

“It’s clear from this year’s Queen’s Speech that the government is committed to improving the quality of education received by students – one of its 12 key Levelling Up missions. The country is facing a digital skills crisis, with a Government report finding that nearly half of UK companies are struggling to recruit for roles that require hard data skills. In addition, it’s my firm belief that education sets the path out of poverty for children who grow up in deprived environments. This means there’s a huge opportunity to both improve access for our most underprivileged children, while tackling the increasing digital skills gap in the country. Improving the quality of education children and young adults receive means empowering them – whatever their background – with the digital knowledge they need to excel in the future workplace.”

NFER statement in response to the Queen’s Speech

Commenting on the Queen’s Speech, Carole Willis, Chief Executive at the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) said:

“We hope the Government is serious about levelling up the attainment outcomes and prospects of children across the country rather than simply squaring up the amounts of hard cash received by schools. A fully academised school sector is not the silver bullet to achieve this aim.

“Our research shows there is a substantial attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers which has increased following the pandemic. Additional support must be put in place for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds who otherwise risk being left further behind.”

Joe Shalam, Policy Director at the Centre for Social Justice, said: 

“As we learn more each day about the hidden damage of the pandemic – and in the midst of the worst cost of living crisis since the 1970s – the social injustices facing our nation require urgent attention. Over 100,000 children are severely absent from school. With household budgets squeezed, up to a million people are resorting to dangerous illegal lenders. Seven years on from the world-leading Modern Slavery Act, too many remain at the mercy of exploitative criminals who saw lockdown as an opportunity to turn people into profit.

“The Centre for Social Justice welcomes commitments in today’s Queen’s Speech putting our recommendations into law: to direct more public procurement towards local businesses and charities; to renew the fight against economic crime and modern slavery; and to ensure more young people on the margin of the education system reach their potential. These long-term reforms will make a real difference to the lives of those who were struggling well prior to the turbulence of the last two years.

“But the fact remains: this cost of living crisis is just getting started. And those with the least to begin with will be the hardest hit. Government must now take the earliest opportunity to harness the flexibility within Universal Credit to get support directly to those worst hit by the spike in energy prices, while also helping claimants into work.”

Following today’s Queen’s Speech, NUS Vice-President for Higher Education Hillary Gyebi-Ababio commented:

“Today’s Queen’s Speech shows that the Government is out of ideas.

“They’ve failed to address the issues facing students, and seemingly forgotten that we’re in the midst of a cost of living crisis.

“Students desperately need support. Our research shows that they’re becoming increasingly worried about being able to manage; 2 in 3 have sought financial assistance, with 5% visiting food banks and 13% relying on credit schemes like Klarna.

“Today, the Government could have shifted tack and focused on providing emergency help for the most vulnerable. But rather than committing to offering basic levels of maintenance support, instead they’re pressing ahead with plans which seek to gatekeep education from marginalised communities and will cost current students and graduates £35 billion over the next five years.

“Students want a transformative education system, not a failing marketised model which is turning us into consumers. The only way forward is funded, accessible and lifelong education”.

The sector was concerned that the ‘Employment Bill’ was not mentioned in the Queen’s speech:

Ben Harrison, Director of the Work Foundation at Lancaster University, a leading think tank for improving work in the UK:

“The Queen’s Speech represented a vital opportunity for the Government to take action to support people through the cost of living crisis, and deliver on its manifesto commitment to strengthen employment protections and rights for millions of low paid workers. It is very disappointing therefore to see that these opportunities have been missed.

“Urgent support for those most at risk for rising inflation is required, including the immediate uprating of Universal Credit payments. And the fact remains that the Government cannot hope to deliver on its ambition to Level Up the country without driving up employment standards and increasing the number of higher quality, better paid and more secure jobs on offer.”

The TUC has today (Tuesday) accused the government of “turning its back” on working people after ministers failed to include an employment bill in the Queen’s Speech.

The union body said that the government’s broken promise to boost workers’ rights will see “bad bosses celebrating”.

In 2019, the government announced it would bring forward a new employment bill to improve people’s rights at work, but despite committing to the bill on at least 20 occasions, ministers have shelved the legislation.

Commenting on the decision to exclude an employment bill from today’s Queen’s Speech, TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said:

“The prime minister promised to make Britain the best place in the world to work. But he has turned his back on working people.

“Today, bad bosses up and down the country will be celebrating.

“No employment bill means vital rights that ministers had promised – like default flexible working, fair tips and protection from pregnancy discrimination – risk being ditched for good.

“And it means no action on the scourge of insecure work and ending exploitative practices like zero-hours contracts and fire and rehire.

“After the P&O scandal, dragging our outdated labour laws into the 21st century has never been more urgent.

“But by shelving the employment bill, ministers have sent a signal that they are happy for rogue employers to ride roughshod over workers’ rights.

“Enough is enough. This is a government that just doesn’t get it – from the cost of living emergency to the insecure work epidemic.

“People can’t wait for greater rights and security at work – they need it now.”

More support for cost of living conspicuous by its absence  – JRF responds to today’s Queen’s Speech

Rebecca McDonald, Senior Economist at JRF said:

“Despite claims in today’s speech that easing the cost of living was a priority for this Government, there were no new support measures announced. This will be deeply worrying for families on low incomes, particularly those who have just experienced a real-terms cut to their benefits after the Government failed to uprate benefits in line with inflation last month.”

“Nevertheless, the inclusion of the long-awaited Renters Reform Bill and Social Housing Regulation Bill in today’s Queen Speech is very welcome. Together, these bills should help drive up standards and strengthen renters’ rights in both the private and social rented sectors. It is now essential that the Government works with renters to ensure the legislation is well designed and truly delivers, especially for those on low incomes.

“We remain seriously concerned that the Employment Bill, first announced in 2019, has once again not been prioritised by this Government. Ministers must explain why they have not committed to improving security and flexibility for low-paid workers when it would have boosted incomes and provided stability at a time when costs are soaring, and incomes are eroding.”