7.45pm ToryDiary: Tory MPs at war with each other
7.15pm ThinkTankCentral: Think tanks give lukewarm reception to the Queen's Speech, urging more radical economic measures updated with Big Brother Watch criticism of the Government's surveillance plans, and Open Europe criticism of the proposed European Union Bill
5.30pm ToryDiary: Cameron hails the Queen's Speech as doing right by "the do-ers, the strivers, those who work hard and play by the rules"
5.15pm Local government: Labour/Conservative coalitions to run Aberdeen and Stirling
3.45pm WATCH:
- The Queen's Speech outlines the Government's economic priorities for the next session
- Dennis Skinner MP's usual Black Rod heckling: "Diamond Jubilee, double dip recession, what a start!"
2pm ThinkTankCentral: Think tanks give lukewarm reception to the Queen's Speech, urging more radical economic measures
1pm WATCH: Vince Cable: Shareholder activism "is healthy, that's how this problem should be dealt with"
12.15pm MPsETC: Full list of legislation announced in the Queen's Speech
11.45am Local government: Fewer children should be in children's homes
10.30am Bill Cash MP on Comment: The Coalition prevents the principles the Conservatives and Liberal Unionists merged to fight for a century ago today
10.15am ToryDiary: Cameron cannot gain a workable Conservative majority without the boundary review
ToryDiary: A spoonful of (Conservative) sugar helps the (austerity) medicine go down
Columnist Jill Kirby: If yesterday's relaunch was meant to show that the Coalition is learning from its mistakes, it was a failure
Lord Ashcroft on Comment: To keep core supporters and attract others, we need a sense of direction, not a change of direction
Also on Comment - John Glen MP: Last week's election results were disappointing. But remember who we will be up against in 2015
Local Government:
- Cllr Robert Cooke: Preparing for the next battle in Hastings
- Antonia Cox elected to Westminster Council
The Deep End: The worrying truth about the Chinese economy – Part II
Queen's Speech 1) Lords reform
"Plans for an elected House of Lords are likely to fall victim to the Coalition's desire to convince voters it is prioritising economic growth… A Lords Reform Bill will be included in the Queen's Speech today after Mr Clegg rebuffed demands from Tory MPs for it to be dropped. But yesterday the Deputy Prime Minister appeared to downgrade the importance of the measure." – Independent
- "An elected House of Lords could become more “aggressive”, frustrate key pieces of legislation and be more expensive to run than the existing system, according to the Tory peer in charge of piloting reforms through the upper house." – FT (£)
> Yesterday on Comment: The Alternative Queen's Speech 15: Lords Reform Bill
Queen's Speech 2) Help for families
"Mothers will be able to return to work earlier and transfer their maternity leave to their partners under moves to help both parents share the burden of child care. The Coalition is also looking to offer more opportunities for flexible working which parents can request throughout their son or daughter’s childhood." – Daily Telegraph
- "Other announcements expected include reform of the system for diagnosing and helping children with special educational needs to give parents more choice in how they are schooled; reforms to the family justice system to speed up care proceedings so no cases take more than six months; and promised changes to the adoption system to make sure parents and children are matched more quickly." – Guardian
- Parental leave reform divides cabinet – FT (£)
Queen's Speech 3) Assorted other legislation
- "Also set to be on the agenda is the creation of a British version of the FBI to be known as the National Crime Agency, to tackle major crime and terrorism. Following the furore over phone hacking and press standards, there is also likely to be reform of the Defamation Act. … Meanwhile, expected bills on opening up the university sector and preparing for high-speed rail are likely to be delayed." – Scotsman
- "The government is also expected to announce plans to split up banks and alter rules on executive pay." - BBC
- "The Sun can reveal the Queen will also say that the Government will redouble its efforts to change Commonwealth rules on the succession, allowing a first born daughter to take the throne." – The Sun
"So much I want to do, but can't": Cameron tells the Mail how Lib Dems are holding him back
"David Cameron has complained of a ‘growing list of things that I want to do but can’t’ because of the Liberal Democrats… Mr Cameron singled out human rights law, reform of workplace rights and support for marriage as areas where Tory principles are being held in check but urged senior MPs growing tired of coalition not to ‘waste’ the next three years. ‘There is a growing list of things that I want to do but can’t, which will form the basis of the Conservative manifesto that I will campaign for right up and down the country,’ the Prime Minister said. ‘Be in no doubt, I want a Tory-only government.’" – Daily Mail
Leveson: David Cameron's text messages to Rebekah Brooks
"David Cameron texted Rebekah Brooks in the week she resigned as chief executive of News International over the phone-hacking scandal to tell her to keep her head up… Mr Cameron told Mrs Brooks that she would get through her difficulties, just days before she stood down. Such contact then came to an “abrupt halt”, although the Prime Minister sent an emissary to apologise for his sudden coldness, explaining that Ed Miliband had him on the run." – The Times (£)
- Leveson is urged to reverse ruling on witness statements – Independent
European judges will decide on Qatada today
"Ministers fear Abu Qatada could walk free from prison as early as today if European judges let him appeal against his deportation. Five Strasbourg judges will decide today whether to refer the terror suspect’s case for a final appeal to the Grand Chamber of European Court of Human Rights. If the appeal gets the go-ahead, his lawyers will immediately ask a British judge to free him from Belmarsh high-security jail on bail." – The Sun
Buy British to help our farmers, says David Cameron – Daily Telegraph
Lansley defies order to publish NHS reform risk assessment
"Andrew Lansley triggered a new row over the government’s controversial NHS reforms yesterday by defying an order to publish an internal risk assessment of the impact of the changes. The Health Secretary announced that ministers had agreed to veto publication of the risk assessment in defiance of a ruling by the Information Tribunal." – The Times (£)
- Blast for Lansley on NHS hush-up – The Sun
Philip Hammond facing campaign to keep Scottish regiment names
"Tory, Labour, Liberal Democrat and SNP parliamentarians urged Philip Hammond not to destroy the identities of battalions including the Black Watch, the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and the Royal Highland Fusiliers." – Daily Telegraph
- The scrapping of historic regimental names as part of defence cuts is a senseless body blow to the Army - Tim Collins for the Daily Telegraph
Cameron 'warned alcohol policy could be illegal by own ministers'
"David Cameron was warned his controversial plan to raise the price of cheap alcohol could be illegal under EU law by one of his own ministers, just days before he announced it, it has been claimed." – Daily Telegraph
David Cameron slams new French president as shares tumble
"Mr Cameron hit out at Mr Hollande’s opposition to cuts, saying: “We’ve all got to deal with deficits. If we don’t, our interest rates will go up.” Mr Hollande backs austerity alternatives. He said the PM is too concerned with City interests and is “indifferent” to the euro’s fate." – The Sun
- More than £25bn wiped off UK's biggest companies as Greece and France spook investors – Daily Telegraph
- It sometimes appears as if the euro was designed to fail – Allister Heath for City AM
> From yesterday - Marina Yannakoudakis MEP on International: The lesson of the French and Greek elections is that the Fiscal Compact is defending the indefensible
Web ‘troll’ guilty of threatening Louise Mensch
"A man convicted of threatening the life of a child of the Tory MP, Louise Mensch, claimed yesterday that he has no recollection of doing so. Frank Zimmerman, 60, who is facing a possible jail sentence, told a judge that his computer was hacked and the e-mail message was sent without his knowledge." – The Times (£)
Government's charity tax cap will cost 10,700 jobs, claims report – Independent
Daniel Finkelstein: The public can't afford to reject austerity
"Those people who want the Government to have a mission beyond austerity, beyond the endgame, are not appreciating how big that task is, how difficult the mission. British voters are no different from any others. At the last election no party felt able to level with them about how bad things were, and what would be needed to put it right, because they correctly divined that if they tried to do so they would be horribly damaged." – Daniel Finkelstein for the Times (£)
David Laws: My second-half coalition agenda
"The coalition still has the potential to be one of the great reforming governments of the postwar era. The changes we are making in education, welfare and pensions are radical and right… But after five years, we must show we have made the right decisions on the economy and got Britain back on track. That must be the coalition’s overriding obsession in the year ahead." – David Laws MP for the FT (£)
Ed Miliband: The public do not trust politicians
"Speaking in Harlow, Essex, where his party seized control in last week’s council elections, he said he wanted to “reach out” to the more than two-thirds of voters who did not cast their ballot. Mr Miliband said: “I want to reach out and understand why you don’t trust any politicians, why you don’t believe any of us can answer the questions that you are facing in your life."" – Scotsman
- NHS 'skivers' should be fired, says Ed Miliband – Daily Telegraph
SNP accused of devolution double-speak - Scotsman
> Yesterday on Comment: The Alternative Queen's Speech 11: Double Devolution Bill
Three cheers for the Shareholder Spring! But why did they take so long to rise up? - Daily Mail
- The big bucks won’t stop here with the departure of Sly Bailey, David Brennan and Andrew Moss – Jeremy Warner for the Daily Telegraph
Greater use of fracking is backed by UK's environment watchdog – Independent
Truckers vote no to fuel strike - The Sun
> Yesterday on Comment: The Alternative Queen's Speech 13: Trade Union Members' Bill
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