This week, the Queen came to Parliament to officially start the new Parliamentary year and to announce the different policies that the Government will pursue over the next twelve months. Despite the pomp and ceremony of the State Opening, the Queen processing through Westminster followed by her Ladies-in-Waiting, the Speech itself was unassuming. There were no billion pound giveaways, no headline grabbing policies, just simple changes that will make a difference to people’s lives.
Central to making this difference lies fairness. Be it reforming welfare to make work pay, lifting the poorest workers out of income tax, or cutting immigration by a third, our changes have been about fairness. The policies announced in the Speech build on that.
We are introducing further controls on immigration to make the system fair. The Immigration Bill will clamp down on those from overseas who abuse our welfare system and NHS whilst still welcoming those who come here to work and contribute to society. It will also make it easier for the UK to deport foreign criminals, ending the ridiculous ‘human rights’ excuse used by so many to prevent deportation.
We are also making changes to help hardworking people with the cost of living because this is fair too. We will continue to push the Energy Bill through, forcing companies to default customers to the lowest tariff available rather than the highest. The Water Bill will look to introduce competition into the water market for the first time, giving consumers choice over who supplies their water and helping to drive down bills.
Alongside help for consumers, is help for small businesses. We recognise that it is these businesses that employ and drive growth and so it is fair that they get help too. The National Insurance Contributions Bill will cut the cost of employing people, with the Government picking up the bill for the first £2000 of employer contributions. It will also contain measures to stop big companies using complex off-shore arrangements to avoid paying their fair share. The Draft Deregulation Bill will slash the amount of strangling regulation that businesses have to comply with, returning common sense to the workplace. We are doing this because it is fair.
For those who work hard all their lives, the Care Bill will help them with the costs associated with old age without having to give up their home. The Pensions Bill will introduce a flat rate pension system so that more women get a full state pension in their own right.
We are making these changes because they are the right thing to do, because they are fair, and I look forward to progressing them into law over the next twelve months.
