Cautious Welcome For Queen's Speech

Today's Queen's Speech aims at getting the UK's finances back on track - but without jeopardising recovery

Major plans to reform schools, police, welfare and Britain's political system are at the heart of the coalition government's first such set of policy proposals.

Queen Elizabeth said cutting the budget deficit and restoring growth would be the new government's "first priority" out of 22 Bills that set out in detail what Prime Minister David Cameron hopes to achieve over the next 18 months.

From her traditional throne in the House of Lords, amid the traditional pomp and pageantry, the Queen said: "My government's legislative programme will be based upon the principles of freedom, fairness and responsibility.

"The first priority is to reduce the deficit and restore economic growth."

But, it comes a day after the government revealed the details of plans to cut £6.2bn in spending this year.

Flagship measures include scrapping ID cards and the next generation of biometric passports and a Freedom (Great Repeal) Bill - regulating the retention of DNA and the use of CCTV cameras among other measures.

The Forum of Private Business has commented on the measures outlined in today's speech.

Head of Campaigns, Jane Bennett, said: "Hopefully, the measures outlined in the Queen’s Speech will go some way to getting the nation's finances back on track without jeopardising recovery.

"As the Forum has already argued, the compromise reached over National Insurance Contributions isn't ideal and will still create a bureaucratic burden for smaller firms.

"However, it is preferable to the larger increase previously proposed by the last Government," she said.

"The proposals for the right to request flexible working shouldn’t prove too onerous for SMEs, providing the employers’ right to refuse a request with good reason remains.

"And the proposal for a referendum on any future EU treaty is also likely to prove popular with smaller businesses, who resent many of the regulations imposed on them by European law."

Miss Bennett added: "In summary, the speech didn't appear to contain anything smaller businesses should be unduly concerned about.

"However, business owners will be in something of a state of limbo until June 22, when the Chancellor will hopefully outline fully detailed taxation and spending policies in his budget."

(BMcC/GK)