2014 The State Opening of Parliament

It is half past ten at Westminster. Stand by for a unique blend of

pageantry and politics, as we bring you a full coverage of the State

Opening of Parliament. It is the last Queen's Speech before the

general election. Good morning. Not long to go before

the Queen arrives here at the Palace of Westminster, in that traditional

carriage procession. It is the start of a new session at parliament, but

the general election, as we know, is just 11 months away, so there is

hardly time to start any ambitious new programme of legislation. Having

said that, there are some interesting items in the programme

today, and we will talking about those. Also we will be putting

things in a wider political context following the European elections and

the rise of UKIP. So, plenty for David Cameron to think about. He

the rise of UKIP. So, plenty for left number 10 Downing Street just

about half an hour ago, on his way to the

about half an hour ago, on his way the coalition's programme of

government which is being announced today. Nick Clegg also left within

the last 45 minutes or so, on his way to Parliament. We have had some

words from Ed Miliband of Labour already. We heard that the election

the depth of discontent, and we need a Queen's Speech which rises to that

challenge. A Labour Queen's Speech would be about making hard work pay,

reforming the banks, freezing energy bills, meeting the big challenges

our country faces. Just a flavour of the debate that we will get in a

short while. So, this is where the Queen arrives, at the Sovereign's

Entrance, and when she arrives, it will be, I can tell you, in a

brand-new coach. It is called the Diamond Jubilee State Coach

Delivered In March This Year. All Of The Details Inside Show You That

This Is Kind Of A Mobile Showcase Of British tradition and history going

back nearly 1000 years. More to say about that later on. Continuing in

that vein, pageantry and politics today. Piers and guests have already

started to arrive, for the biggest event in the Parliamentary calendar.

No peer is allowed in unless he or she is wearing the appropriate

Parliamentary attire. We have some new faces today, Baroness Lawrence,

Stephen Lawrence's mother, who took her seat within the past year. Danny

Filkins Steyn, the well-known columnist, who also took his seat in

the last year. Some reminding us of a different age, perhaps, Lord

Howell, who, as Geoffrey Howe, was Chancellor of the Exchequer. Maybe a

little more recent, but it still feels like quite a long time ago, we

have another former Chancellor, Lord Lamont, who served under John Major.

Baroness Lawrence the sitting next to him. They are all waiting for the

Queen's Speech, which will take place shortly. It will be delivered

from this spectacular throne. Later on, the Queen will summon members of

the House of Commons to this chamber, to the House of Lords, to

listen to that speech, and then, of course, unfailing the Government's

legislative programme for the session. Plenty of colour and

ceremony and tradition surrounding the State Opening. The speech can be

traced back to the 16th century, though this current ceremony dates

from 1852, after the Palace of Westminster was rebuilt after the

fire in 1834. Plenty of display, and plenty of politics to talk about

today as well. Let me introduce you to my first guest today, the

Presiding Officer of the House of Lords, a position created back in

2006. Matthew Parris is with us, of The Times newspaper, in the distant

past, a Conservative MP. And, as always on these days, Nick

Robinson, the BBC's political editor. Lots of people thought we

would not get to this point with this coalition, they did not think

it would last this long, but here we are? I sat in this chair, in this

studio bubble here, in the days after the general election, before

the coalition was formed, and people said, we will have an election

within months, whatever arrangement is done, it will not last. I think I

said that I thought it would, actually, and it has, and it will,

and you are right. A lot of what this speech is about is David

Cameron and Nick Clegg saying, we told you so. What's more, or those

who say we have got nothing to do, except counting the days until the

next general election, we have got quite meaty bills. You will see the

one which was trailed at the weekend about reform on pensions. Also, this

idea of Dutch style collective pensions, but basically, the message

is, we are busy, we are active, we are keeping going. We will be

speaking about the individual bills. Aaron S, when you were in the

position of Speaker of the House of Lords, getting ready for these

situations, what would you have been doing at this time of day? Getting

dressed, because it took some time, with the amount of gear that you had

to wear! What I found was that the rehearsal the night before was not

like real life, because you could trip over laugh, or, you did not

actually put on the rogues, and the robes are enormously heavy. And I

was always terrified of the steps that go down there, of tripping

over. And the Household Cavalry having to pick me up, and you

commentating about it! I am sorry, we might have been! But we would

have worried about you! You seemed to enjoy it. Well, I hope I put the

correct face on it because one was conscious of being part of something

which had a long history. Although I have to say that my part in it was

made up by Black Rod and the Lord Chamberlain two days previously,

because there had never been a Lord's Speaker before. And they had

to deal with how it differentiated from the Lord Chancellor.

Broomstick, it is all about pageantry and tradition today, is

the politics being undersold today? No, in a sense, it is being

oversold, there is not much politics here, except for the run-up to the

general election. There will not be much of a policy interest in the

Queen's Speech. We just have a very long run-up to a general election.

This is all about positioning and jockeying and getting one over the

other side. So you will see things put into the Queen's Speech which

are basically just one upon you, Nick, one upon you, Dave, one upon

you, Eddie. We should just enjoy the pageantry. I had difficulty getting

here through the's, there was a crowd of beefeaters, all ready to do

whatever the beefeaters do. It one of -- it was one of the most surreal

experiences of my life. Very briefly, what sometimes people look

at, this is part office Christmas party, part school prize day, part

great tradition. People wait all year to bring their husband or their

wife or their partner to celebrate their involvement in the Houses of

Parliament. For the past few days, there have been people hoovering

their carpets, repainting the walls, it is a big occasion for the whole

village. It is a good moment to get our bearings. The chamber is packed,

obviously. We can get our bearings and so that we understand what is

happening when the Queen arrives. The State coach will be arriving at

the foot of the tower which contains all the Parliamentary archives.

Thankfully, the rain is holding off because it looked pretty grim this

morning. From there, Her Majesty will make her way up the Norman

state case, into the Robing Room itself. There is the staircase. Very

soon we will see the Household Cavalry forming a guard of honour

there. You can see the gentlemen at Arms ready to take their place. The

doors behind them, that is where the Robing Room is. No cameras allowed

in there. Once they are in the Robing Room, there will be a few

minutes to get ready, and then they will emerge in this magnificent

room, the Royal Gallery. Accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, they will

go past all these guests, by the Duke of Edinburgh, they will

diplomatic and military circles, and they will head along this gallery to

the chamber of the House of Lords. They will need to pass

the chamber of the House of Lords. tiny chamber you can see in the

distance, that is the tiny chamber you can see in the

chamber, exactly above the point where Guy Fawkes was caught in 1605.

And then they go into the splendid chamber of the House of Lords,

And then they go into the splendid created in 1847. That

And then they go into the splendid Queen will take her place on the

throne. She will give the signal to summon the House of Commons for the

speech. summon the House of Commons for the

Lords and the Commons is the central lobby, the heart of the building. My

colleague Vicki Young is there for us this morning. That's right.

colleague Vicki Young is there for Queen, of course, centre stage over

in the House of Lords. Here, through to the Commons chamber, this is

where MPs assert their authority. to the Commons chamber, this is

The first procession will be the Speaker of the House of Commons,

announced along the way Speaker of the House of Commons,

officers. Then the cry of,, strangers, telling members of the

public to doff their hats. And strangers, telling members of the

the man known as Black Rod, who will go straight up to the door of the

chamber of the Commons. go straight up to the door of the

slammed in his face, and then has to knock three Times to be allowed to

go in, and then he knock three Times to be allowed to

to the Lords to hear the Queen 's speech. Watch out for a couple of

rebellious members of the House of Commons, who always refused to go.

Talking about tradition, Black Rod's procession is

Talking about tradition, Black tradition which is rooted in

history. In a ceremony which dates back more than 300 years, to the

civil war, when relations between the Sovereign and the Commons were

not quite as nice as they are today, one MP becomes the Queen's hostage,

and the MP Jim Fitzpatrick explained that history, telling us about the

time that he was detained at Her Majesty per

Every time the Parliament to perform the State

Opening, we have to stand a hostage to Buckingham Palace to make sure

that the monarch is safely returned. Because if they do not go back, they

have one of ours. The tradition of the hostage comes from the execution

of the monarch at the end of the civil war. This tableau dip its the

start of the civil war, almost. This is the king arriving

at Parliament to arrest five MPs he has been told are undermining

his authority. So at the end of the Civil War,

after the defeat of the Royalists, Charles I was put on trial

for treason. He was put on trial on this step

in 1649. He was charged with treason

and found guilty, and the next morning he was taken

out and executed in Whitehall. It's as a result

of that execution that the royal household demands a hostage every

time the monarch comes to perform If anything happens to the monarch,

the same fate will befall one We are outfitted with top hat,

tails and stripy trousers. When I was there, I was greeted

by the Lord Chamberlain, Lord Luce. He made it clear that I could do

whatever I wanted in I could wander around,

I could have a gin and tonic, cup of coffee, or I could join him,

and his preferred option was to watch the State Opening on the BBC,

which is what I did with him, and They didn't actually lock me up,

but they made it quite clear that I When I expressed my anxiety to

the head of the armed forces, he reassured me that

if anything happened to Her Majesty, "Jim, we would have made it quick,

we would have just shot you". One feels somewhat isolated,

because I'm detached But you also feel that you're part

of the history, part of the tradition,

which obviously gives a sense of And quite happy to come back,

of course. But it was quite

a memorable experience. staircase for the Queen. And there

we have the yeomen of the guard, one of the oldest of the royal

bodyguards, raised by Henry VII in the battle of is within 1485 -- the

battle of Usworth. Not the most senior, we will see some of them

later on. The yeomen of the guard are ready to go in. They have

already performed a ceremonial search of the sellers. That is of

course linked to the Guy Fawkes' Night said on to. So they performed

a search and got a glass of port as a reward. Now they are ready for the

great procession in state which will come a little later after the Queen

has arrived. This now gives you a sense of the Queen's route. When she

turns up with the Duke of Edinburgh, they will be following these

footsteps, because they will lead from that staircase for a little

pause in the robing room and then into the Prince's Chamber I told you

about a short while ago. Baroness Heymann is still with me, watching

these images. So far, it is going to plan. And this is the nice thing

about this event, it is rooted introduction, and yet lots of these

people have very real modern stories to tell? Absolutely. What is

wonderful about it partly is the timing and the precision and the way

you feel that you are fitting into a very well oiled machine. But also,

it is flexible and it does change. When I was made Lord Speaker and the

lord Chancellor had done that job for, the Lord chancellors still have

two being caught grated into that ceremony. The day was saved by the

fact that there was a spare mace, because each of us needed to have

our own mace. But because there was a spare kept in the room next to my

office, it was OK. So they created a bit of ceremony. When you were

commenting on it, it looked as if it had been going on for 100 years.

That is the real skill of this. I. You there for a second if I may,

because I mentioned but this is the last Queen's Speech before the next

election. There is a very important electoral event happening before

then of course in September. There will be the referendum on Scottish

independence. That is also something that is dominating minds at

Westminster in the months to come. Vicki Young is in the Central Lobby

for us. Yes, we have had devolution, and it

is still at the heart of the UK Parliament. Could big changes be on

the horizon? I am joined by the SNP's Angus Robertson and the

Liberal Democrat Sir Menzies Campbell. Angus Robertson, are you

going to turn your back on this? I look forward to Scotland's

Parliament being able to make all the big decisions rather than

Westminster. When we look at all the MPs trooping from the House of

Commons to the House of Lords, it reminds us that only 4% of

parliamentarians between these two Chambers are elected in Scotland. It

looks like something more out of the 19th century rather than the 21st

century, and I think the advantages of a yes vote are not only that we

will get the government and the parliament we always wanted, but

something more befitting the century we are in rather than 200 years ago.

Sir Menzies Campbell, is this all a bit old-fashioned? Well, this is a

constitutional monarchy. The Queen has not abdicated herself, but she

has abdicated from a lot of powers that the sovereign previously

possessed. But the Queen still has the power to appoint government.

That is why she has come today, to read out the government's programme.

It seems to me still that these symbols are of enormous significance

in underpinning the fact that we live in a constitutional democracy

in which powers are clearly separated. From my point of view, it

is better that we should remain together, because the stability

which has been provided by this Parliament for so many years is

something which affects the whole of the United Kingdom. I don't want to

give that up. Angus Robertson, the Queen still has a role with the

Scottish Parliament. Would she have a role after? She plays a role in

the opening of the Scottish parliament, but what we are looking

at this year is a significant improvement to governance in

Scotland. Today, we are witnessing the opening of a Parliament that

governs over Scotland, governed by the third and fourth placed parties

in Scotland. That is not a normal democracy. In a normal democracy,

the most popular party with the most votes makes the decisions.

Westminster does not work like that. That is why we need to change it. It

is out of date, and today is a good example of how outdated it is. That

ignores the reality, because in Scotland, we have our own government

with responsibility for a whole raft of domestic affairs, which this

government has devolved to Scotland. So it is wrong to say that the

percentage of directly elected people having influence over

Scottish politics is only 4%. And of course, the present government and

the Labour Party and the Conservative Party and the Liberal

Democrats have all said that in the event of a no vote in September, for

which I will argue as fervently as I can, then the devolution of powers

will be given. Will we hear about that in the Queen's Speech? If it is

so important? No, you won't. You will hear about it when we have

cleared up the question of independence. So, despite this day

of ceremony, there are political arguments as well.

Outside the Palace of Westminster, we have the Queen Alexandra State

coach arriving. This is one of the first big moments of the ceremony

today. It is bringing the Imperial State Crown. We have it on display

inside the carriage, closely guarded by some very senior figures. We will

talk about them in a short while. And we have the sort of state and

the cap of maintenance, all of these powerful emblems of royal authority.

They will be carefully taken out, and a few maces as well. They will

be taken out from the coach and taken into the world gallery and put

on display until the Queen arrives, because they are symbols of royal

authority and power. The coach is being

authority and power. The coach is Tower, the sovereign 's entrance of

the Palace of Westminster. This is one of the royal parts of the Palace

of Westminster. And this is an interesting cast list as well,

because we have people here representing those who used to row

the royal barges up and down the Thames. That was when the sovereign

is used to Thames as the main mode of transport. The royal watermen.

There are 24 of them still under the command of the Queen's barge master,

who is standing there, waiting to help bring out the Imperial State

Crown. There we have the crown jewel, Martin Smith, handing it over

to the barge master, Paul Ludwig. And this gentleman is the controller

in the Lord Chamberlain's office. He is responsible for lots of the royal

events and ceremonies, for organising them. It is his duty to

take this great symbol of the Queen's authority, the Imperial

State Crown. We only see it at correlations and State Opening of

Parliament. He will take this into the regalia room, and it will be

placed on a much grander cushion and then taken up the staircase to the

world gallery and put on display. -- the royal gallery. Behind, you can

see the sword of state, all part of the regalia that are integral to

today's ceremony. And just on the left, the cap of maintenance. A

reminder of the gift that the Pope used to bring to those monarchs that

he favoured in days gone by. They will be turning left here for a few

minutes to make sure everything is polished and speak and spam -- speak

and span before they formally proceed up the staircase.

The guard of honour are in position for when the Queen arrives in about

15 or 20 minutes' time. So now that the Crown is being safely looked

after, let me introduce you to our new guests. We have Sajid Javid, who

has recently become the Secretary of State the culture. We have Tom brake

for the Liberal Democrats, deputy leader of the house of commons, and

Jack Straw, Labour's former Foreign Secretary, former Home Secretary,

former Lord chancellor, I could go on. Is there anything in the state

opening you have not done apart from read the speech? I have not been the

Queen! What does today represent? Above all, today represents the fact

that we live in a constitutional monarchy. It took many centuries to

get the balance of power established. Personally, I think we

do well in terms of our constitutional arrangements. Of

course it always need to be approved, but the fact that we have

had stability in this country since the civil war in the 17th century,

we have not been through the convulsions every other European

country has been through as well as countries across the world, is based

on this conscious Jewish Norse settlement which was hacked out in

the 17th century -- this constitutional settlement. The

settlement is sometimes referred to as the Crown in Parliament, and

there we have the Crown. It represents the Queen in relation to

the legislature, and the fact that this is in many ways a unique kind

of carving up of the powers of responsibilities. Yes. There are

plenty of constitutional monarchies in Europe and some elsewhere, and I

would say this, but we have managed this really well. And as a result,

we have had this to belittle. -- this stability. Acts of Parliament

go through both houses, but they do not go through law until they

receive royal assent, still promulgated in ancient legal French.

What is happening now is that Andrew Ford is handing over the Crown to

this gentleman, a very important figure. He is in charge of the royal

parts of the Palace of Westminster. He will be one of those greeting the

Queen when she arrives shortly. It is on display in the world gallery,

the Crown, because it is there to demonstrate publicly the Queen's

authority. She is coming to Parliament today to open Parliament

and to deliver that Queen's Speech. So the Crown is on display, and we

will see that the cap of maintenance and the sword of state are also

being placed on display. Not quite as important as the Imperial State

town, but they are also powerful and ancient symbols of the Monica's

authority. -- the monarch's authority. Very shortly, once we

know that the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh are safely on their way

from Buckingham Palace, the Crown will then be into the robing room,

ready for the Queen's arrival and ready for that procession in state.

And waiting patiently to pick up again, we have our guests with us.

Does this kind of ceremony really fit in with a diverse century

Britain? Actually, I think it does. I agree with what Jack said about

the constitutional importance of this. I came into Parliament in

2010. That was the first opportunity I had to watch the Queen's Speech

and participate in the Commons up close. But even now, I find it an

enormous source of pride about our country. Of course there is politics

today and we may come to that later, but what is more important today is

that this is a moment of national pride for us all. You put the

politics aside for a while and reflect on what this means about our

country and our constitutional arrangements in government. Tom,

your perspective? Some of your Lib Dem colleagues have said we should

move away from this kind of stuff in the 21st century. We should not

forget that there is a practical side to this in terms of the Queen's

Speech and the content, which sets out the government's programme of

action. And it is an opportunity for the coalition government to set out

its programme, but it is also an opportunity for the Liberal

Democrats to set out areas we think are a priority, such as child and

pensions. In all of this debate today, are we really in a position,

Jack, where we say that with 11 months to go, anyone is pretending

that you can introduce a substantial programme of legislation with that

kind of timetable? You can do it, I have been involved in doing it! This

is quite a light programme of legislation. The government may want

to make a merit of that, or it may be a consequence of coalition

disagreements, I do not know. But one thing I feel is that there is an

opportunity here to make sure that the legislation which does come

forward is better scrutinised on the floor of the House of Commons. The

criticism I floor of the House of Commons. The

administration, we started this, although

administration, we started this, was to timetable bills too tightly.

In this situation, there will be a lot of space available, but what

would be damaging for the reputation of Parliament would he if the same

tight timetabling took place, and the rest of the time was devoted to

frankly inconsequential debates. I think scrutiny is absolutely

important and is always right for any bill which comes before

Parliament, that you should have enough time to scrutinise it. Where

I will pick up a bit on what Jack said is, I do not want to pre-empt

what Her Majesty will be saying, but I think you will find there is more

in this speech than there was in Labour's last Queen's Speech. I know

that the Queen is just leaving... People will find that this

that the Queen is just leaving... programme which is suitable for an

11 month session, and there is meat in it, and perhaps the suggestion

that this is a parliament which has nothing to do I think be proved

wrong. So, just a few seconds ago, this is what was happening at

Buckingham Palace. This is the brand-new Diamond Jubilee State

Coach that I was telling you about, made principally in Australia,

buying Jim Frecklington, who was responsible for the work

buying Jim Frecklington, who was Australian State Coach, which was

buying Jim Frecklington, who was delivered in 1988. But we are told

that this is a much more sumptuous affair, and a much more interesting

vehicle in many ways, because it contains all kinds of little

samples, not just in terms of timber and other things, which represented

lots of the iconic locations throughout the United Kingdom -

cathedrals, castles, royal residences and all the rest of it.

So, that coach, which we will see today, and we will see a lot more of

in the future, is kind of a mobile museum of British culture going back

1000 years. Talking of that long tradition, we now have the Lords

chamber Lin, as I mentioned earlier, taking the Imperial State Crown from

the Royal Gallery into taking the Imperial State Crown from

Room. They now know that taking the Imperial State Crown from

is on her way. It is not a long run from Buckingham Palace, even in that

coach, down The Mall, and into Parliament Square. Just a few

minutes before Her Majesty arrives. The Crown

minutes before Her Majesty arrives. Robing Room in preparation. Nick

Robinson... It is interesting, we have just gone through a moment of

rejection of the political parties in the recent elections, not by

everybody, but by a substantial portion of the electorate, a

rejection of the three main parties. We heard the SNP saying, we want to

put all of this ceremony behind us. But what is interesting to me is

that people do not seem to be rejecting this, particularly. Back

in the 1980s, there were questions about, should we start putting this

behind us? But it seems to me, political rejection is more about

what politicians do and say and behave, rather than this. I am just

being told that the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall are just

arriving. This is the Irish State Coach and that

arriving. This is the Irish State Welsh Guards

arriving. This is the Irish State anthem. They are

arriving. This is the Irish State Stephen 's entrance. The 1st

Battalion Welsh Guards providing a guard of honour for the Queen and

the Duke. Here we have the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall.

They attended the State Opening for the first time together last year.

The Prince actually had not attended since 1996, I do not think, before

last year. So, this is the second time that they have attended as a

couple. They are now arriving at the Sovereign 's entrance, under the

Victoria Tower. Later on we will see Charles and Camilla seated at the

side of the Queen, just on the right-hand side of the main throne,

in the ceremonial Chairs Of State. This is a relatively new development

that we are seeing. That is the Duke of Norfolk, the Earl Marshall, who

is in charge of the really big events of state, including

Coronations, state funerals, really big events. Really, he is the

organising mastermind of the State Opening. I was just mentioning the

sensitivity around the understandable process of looking

ahead, and the fact that Charles and Camilla, taking a more prominent

role, Nick? Just in this, but we remember that Charles went to the

G20 summit in Sri Lanka, instead of Her Majesty, the first time that he

had presided over a Commonwealth summit. So, yes, the Palace are

thinking ahead, planning, considering how Her Majesty will

manage as she gets older. There are some things which she no longer

quite feels able to do that particular ceremonies. But what

always strikes people here is how well she seems to cope at an

occasion like this. We all think of our own friends and relatives, we

think of ourselves, and we think, not sure I would quite manage that

at that age! Charles is a youthful 65, so that is a slightly different

context. Just going into the Robing Room, to wait for Her Majesty to

arrive. At this point, before we get to the main event today, which is

the delivery of the speech, a thought on how the speech is put

together, and about the kind of political tensions which there might

be, because you are two different parties facing an electoral context

next May, so can you tell us about the process of getting the Queen's

Speech together? I think you touched on it earlier in your programme.

Many people said back in 2010 that this coalition would not last. It is

not the way Latics is done in Britain, they said. What we have

shown is that where we have a common goal, and we have gone through the

deepest recession in almost 100 years, and those challenges the

country faced both the coalition together, and we focused resolutely

on those areas. That means bringing the deficit down, welfare reform, a

host of other changes. But what you will see from the speech today is

that there is still a lot more to do. We have got a long-term plan for

that and it is something the coalition is still working very hard

together on. People might not realise that what the Queen 's

speech reflects is the competing demands of different ministers, in

that they all want to get a bill in that session, and of course, the

time is limited, particularly for this session, as we know it is a ten

month session. So, it is about balancing those competing demands

and making sure that coalition partners are comfortable with the

content, to sum it stand. We have heard about things to do with child

care and pensions, strong things for the Liberal Democrats, which they

want to see, and equally there will be things which reflect Conservative

priorities. Nick, what about this speech? What is revealing is what is

not in there. If this was purely the Conservatives, there would a bill on

Europe. But there isn't, because the Liberal Democrats would not agree to

it. If it was the Lib Dems on their own, there are all sorts of things

which they would want in terms of constitutional reform and other

things, which the Tories are not willing to back. So you have to look

for what is not there as well as what is there. Another little

example - will there really be a promise of legislation to make all

cigarettes be sold in plain paper packaging? I have just got a hunch

they will say, we are not quite ready to have a look at that just

yet. This is the procession of the Lord Speaker. We were speaking to

Baroness Hayman earlier, who was the first Lord Speaker to be appointed.

This is her successor. This is Baroness de Souza, and they are

making their way to the area at the head of the staircase, and there

will be others congregate there very soon. There is Black Rod, who has

such a big role to play later. The Duke of Norfolk on the right. And we

caught a glimpse of Andrew Lansley, the Lord Privy Seal. Next we have

the Lord Chancellor's procession, Chris Grayling, the first non-lawyer

to be Lord Chancellor for hundreds of years. Given that Jack Straw has

done this and is sitting next to me, your thoughts on this procession?

Well, one main thought is to make sure that you stick to the

injunction is imposed on you by the Lord Great Chamberlain and the O

Marshall at the rehearsal, and you literally do not put a foot wrong.

It is a bit like juggling or riding a horse, you have just got to

concentrate! This bit is pretty straightforward. But there are bits

I worried about a lot, like going up the steps and coming down backwards

down the steps. The first time I did this, I left from the wrong door,

and the Duke of Edinburgh up braided me on this on his way out. So, there

is lots to worry about. Chris Grayling, Ken Clarke and I are the

first commoners to have ever done this since Thomas more, and we all

know what happened to him! So, these are the peers who will be in the

procession. Lord Hill, the Leader of the House of Lords, nearest to us,

and Lord Walker, former Chief of Defence Staff. They will be

responsible for processing with the Cap of Maintenance and the Sword of

State. So, all of the principal players getting into place. Also the

Purse Bearer, because the person that we saw actually contains the

speech itself. You have a spare copy in your pocket! Is that right? Yes,

not half! And this is the new Diamond Jubilee State Coach, in

public for the first time, and four divisions of the Sovereign's

Escort, led by the Blues and Royals in their scarlet tunics.

Escort, led by the Blues and Royals you really have a sense of the

intricate work which has gone into this coach. No wonder it took eight

years to build. the Band Of The Welsh Guards, and

the guard of honour provided by 1st Battalion Welsh Guards.

What is going to happen next is that the Queen is passing behind us. It

is a great view that we have here, actually. You can just see the roof

of the coach, which goes into the Victoria Tower. There will be a

fanfare to signal the Queen's arrival, and the royal standard will

be unfurled, replacing the Union flag at the top of the Victoria

Tower. the fanfare sounded either state

trumpeters. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh arrive for the State

Opening of Parliament. Preceded on the staircase by the heralds, who,

in the past, were royal messengers. These days, they are in charge of

all of the heraldic customs of the College Of Arms. And just following

is Black Rod, who is preparing for his starring role in the State

Opening, when he goes and summons the Commons, a little later on.

There is Thomas Woodcock, the Senior Herald.

her 61st state opening of Holland. She celebrated her 80th birthday

this year. The Duke, next week, will celebrate his 93rd birthday. So,

making their way into the Robing Room, the George IV diadem will be

replaced with the imperial state emblem. In the world gallery, the

Herald is getting ready to lead this procession in state. The state

procession is only seen at the State Opening of Parliament and at the

coronation. So it is a rare event, and it is a special event. The Black

Rod, David Leakey, is ready to make his way down towards the Central

Lobby. And he will wait there for the signal from the House of Lords.

That will be his signal to make his way down to the House of Commons and

to summon the MPs. Let's join Vicky again. She may catch sight of Black

Rod in a second. That's right. Here, we are waiting

for the speaker's procession, which will be the first procession to come

through here. Over my shoulder, you can see the inspector, who is

preparing for hats off, strangers, which he shouts as the speaker comes

through, telling the public to take their hats off in deference to the

speaker. He has admitted to me to a bit of nerves. He has a jewel role

to Dave -- a jewel role. He has to do that and then he has to accompany

the Black Rod through the House of Commons, where lack one will have

that door slammed in his face. All of that drama to come. It is a

very powerful symbol of the supremacy and power of the House of

Commons. That is what it is about. We can enjoy the drama, but it

signifies something very important. So when the police inspector gives

that warning, hats off, strangers, we will know the speaker is on his

way and we will know that we are not far off the moment when the Queen

will emerge in the royal gallery itself. Jack, given that you have

been there and done it several times, at this moment, once the

Queen is in the palace, there is very little you can do. It is all

set in stone? It is completely set in stone, but going back to the

discussion we had earlier, this is not just undermine. There is real

importance in the fact that Black Rod is sent by the Queen to summon

her Parliament, but the door is slammed shut. That goes back to the

extraordinary divisions that blew up during the civil war, the fact that

Charles the First Minister send soldiers into the House of Commons

to arrest five members of Parliament. Since then, known

monarch has been allowed onto the floor of the House of Commons. And

we decide whether we will hear what the Queen has to say. So it

symbolises this once of our not only between Parliament and the Queen,

but between the elected House of Commons and the appointed House of

Lords. Is that point always clear? Do you think people understand the

significance of that part of the ceremony, which has something to do

with the very important struggle that took place, the fact that the

House of Commons today has a very different purpose and status to the

upper chamber? I don't think they always do, and it is always worth

explaining that again and again. Although I know that, hearing Jack

explained it reminds you of the importance of this. It is not just a

pantomime. This is about our history and our heritage. So, waiting

patiently in the House of Lords, hundreds of peers. There we have

gnawed Michael Grade, one of the great figures of broadcasting --

Lord Michael Grade. Let's see if we can see some familiar faces. There

we have Michael Howard, the former Conservative leader, having a look

at his BlackBerry! Or it may be an iPhone. Yes, there we are. Obviously

very important, whatever it is. There are members of the judiciary

here today. There are people here representing the different parts of

the constitutional settlement. A former Conservative minister there

who then became Labour, Quentin Davies. We have seen a few other

familiar faces. We had Norman Lamont earlier. There is Baroness Warsi,

conservative. Nick, you were going to say? I was going to pick up what

Jack Straw was talking about in terms of the ceremony. People who

come here often do not know any of the history, but they can't be in

this building without becoming imbued with it. The speaker defied

the monarch, and that is why we have this ceremony. I am representing the

people, not the monarch, said the speaker, as he refused to comply

with the members of Parliament. There are some like myself who come

as a correspondent who knew none of this history, but you learn it as

you show people around. And very few people, even real critics of our

constitutional settlement, and up thinking that that does not matter.

Well, I suppose I am more on the moderniser wing. However, I think

this ceremony is one that provides a historical explanation for what our

Parliament does and why it does it. And it sets a framework within which

the business of the house can then be performed in a more efficient and

functional manner, so I think it works. In Central Lobby, I am told

the speaker's procession is on its way. The inspector is ready to give

that command for hats off, strangers. We will see the speaker,

John Bercow, with the Sergeant at arms, and he will also be

accompanied by the chaplain. I expect that they have left his

office and come up along the library corridor, and then they will turn

left, I think, Jack? It is right. But he is coming from the left.

Whichever way he is coming from, he will turn right! Well, we are told

he is seconds away. So as soon as the procession emerges, I think we

are almost there, actually. Speaker! Hats off, strangers. Led by

the doorkeeper, Vaughan Williams, and the sergeant at arms, Lawrence

Ward. Started off at the Postal Service, carrying one of the ancient

Masons, again, symbols of the authority of the Commons. Followed

by the Speaker, John Bercow. And the train bearer, Jim Davie. And there

we have the Speaker's secretary and chaplain as well. They are making

their way into the members' lobby of the House of Commons. Very different

in sense and in style the House of Commons. Very different

to the House of Lords. the House of Commons. Very different

Speaker is being acknowledged by lots of fellow members

Speaker is being acknowledged by of Commons. There will be a short

session of prayer. That is the traditional start to the day

session of prayer. That is the House of Commons, which we will not

Speaker is in and settled, they will Speaker is in and settled, they will

be waiting to be summoned by Black Rod. So the door is shut. The maze

will be placed near the dispatch boxes. -- the mace. Signalling that

the house is to be in session. Then we will leave the Commons at that

point. The prime minister and Nick Clegg are there, Ed Miliband as

well. So the bell is signalling that

prayers are taking place in the chamber of the Commons. Let's have a

look at the royal gallery, because that will tell us something about

what is going on in terms of the timings. There you have the doors to

the Robing Room, and they are all waiting for the signal when the Lord

Chamberlain will come out and note that the Queen is ready to process.

All the heralds are waiting patiently. The Gentlemen at Arms,

another group of royal bodyguards. They were raised by Henry VIII,

unlike the Yeomen of the Guard, raised by Henry VII. And the state

trumpeter is ready to sound the fanfare. The Lord Chamberlain has

now emerged, ready to give the signal.

The procession in state is underway, for the 61st State Opening

of Parliament, involving Her Majesty the Queen. The Queen has given

regular audiences to 12 prime ministers, and is celebrating 66

years of Harwich to the Duke of Edinburgh. The Prince of Wales and

Duchess of Cornwall are taking their place in the procession. --

celebrity 66 years of marriage. The Herald is leading the way.

The Lord Speaker, Lord Privy Seal, Lord Chancellor, the Earl Marshall,

Lord Great Chamberlain. And there we have Lord Hill, bearing the cap of

maintenance and general of the Lord Walker with the sword of state. Her

Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh. And then the pages of honour, Hugo

Bertie and the Honourable Charles Armstrong Jones. Making their way

into the Prince's Chamber, which is dominated by a vast marble statue of

Queen Victoria, but there are portraits of Tudor monarchy is

dotted around the Prince's Chamber as well. That leads directly into

this great chamber of the House of Lords, a temper which has seen so

many changes over the past century. -- chamber. Everyone rises.

The Queen will take her place on the principle thrown, next to the Duke

of Edinburgh. The two chairs of state on the left are for the Prince

of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. The Queen will give a

signal to send Black Rod. My Lords, pray be seated.

Rod, in a very determined way, steps off from the heart of the Palace of

Westminster in the Central Lobby. That is where members of the public

can come in and meet members of parliament, where they cannot be

their member, if you like. Black Rod's approach has been announced by

one of the officers of the house. And the doors to the House of

Commons, as we expend earlier, will be slammed in his face, a

devastation of the independence and the authority of the House of

Commons. Close the door! He steps into the chamber of the

Commons to deliver the Queen's message.

Mr Speaker, Her Majesty the Queen commands this Honourable House

attends Her Majesty immediately in the house of peers.

Coalition's last stand! LAUGHTER.

No prizes for guessing the contributor, the veteran Labour MP

Dennis Skinner. Venturing that this Queen's Speech might be the

coalition's last. Some people with me right now will vigorously

disagree with that! So, the procession from the Commons, Mr

Cameron, Esther Miliband, Harriet Harman and Nick Clegg. They will

walk along the corridor which leads to the central lobby, and then up to

the House of Lords to listen to the speech.

This is a great moment, Nick, because everyone is so cheerful and

chatty, you do wonder, sometimes. Yes, I think the leaders of rival

parties think about it quite hard, what on earth are we going to talk

about and no because they will be seen on camera, so, finding a safe

topic to talk about, particularly when there is no love lost. I think

these two probably get on rather better than David Cameron and Gordon

Brown did. But they fell out over Syria, and David Cameron was pretty

angry with Ed Miliband's stance over that, for example. There are some

untold stories about British politics. Yes, there are some

exciting, in century moments, but on the whole, people get on with each

other OK. There is no rule which says you should not get on with

people on the other side less well than you do with people on your own

side. Do not forget the famous observation that once you have got

the opposition in front of you, you have got the enemy behind! So, you

have not got rivalries in the same way. I just wonder whether the

subject of UKIP might be way. I just wonder whether the

around which everybody should have discourse in and open and frank

manner. It might be about children, or there is a common event, they are

boat off to D-Day, so they might be talking about that.

I think it is important that the public can see that they are normal

human beings. There is a lot of common ground between them as well.

They experience the same things, and they get some of the same private

briefings. Yes, but also, we have all got the same problem of how to

interest more British citizens in the question of politics.

JONATHAN EDWARDS: The Duke of Norfolk is

tell the Lord Chancellor to deliver the speech. This will be done very

carefully. My Lords and members of the House of

Commons. My government's legislative programme will continue to deliver

on its long-term plan to build a stronger economy and a fairer

society. To strengthen the economy and provide stability and security,

my ministers will continue to reduce the country's deficit, helping to

ensure that mortgage and interest rates remain low. An updated charter

for budget responsibility will be brought forward to ensure that

future governments spend taxpayers' money responsibly. My government

will also continue to cut taxes in order to increase people's financial

security. My ministers will implement measures to increase

further the personal allowance and to freeze fuel duty. Measures will

be brought forward for a married couple's allowance, which will

recognise marriage in the tax system. Legislation will be

introduced to help make the United Kingdom the most attractive place to

start, finance and grow a business. The bill will support small

businesses by cutting bureaucracy and enabling them to access

finance. New legislation will require ministers to set and report

on a deregulation target for each Parliament. The legislation will

also reduce delays in employment tribunal 's, improve the fairness of

contracts for low-paid workers and establish a public register of

company ownership. Legislation will be introduced to provide for a new

statutory code and an adjudicator to increase fairness for public house

tenants. Legislation will impose higher penalties on employers who

fail to pay their staff the minimum wage. Measures will be brought

forward to limit excessive redundancy payments across the

public sector. In respect of national insurance contributions,

legislation will be brought forward to tackle avoidance and to simplify

their collection from the self-employed. My government will

introduce a bill to bolster investment in infrastructure and

reform planning law to improve economic competitiveness. The bill

will enhance the United Kingdom's energy independence and security by

opening up access to shale gas and geothermal sites, as well as

maximising North Sea resources. Legislation will allow for the

creation of an allowable solution scheme to enable all new homes to be

built to a zero carbon standard, and will guarantee long-term investment

in the road network. My government will continue to implement major

reforms to the electricity market and reduce the use of plastic

carrier bags to help protect the environment. A key priority for my

ministers will be to continue to build an economy which rewards those

who work hard. Legislation will be brought forward to give those who

have saved discretion over the use of their retirement funds. My

government's pension reforms will also allow for innovation in the

private pensions market to give greater control to employees, extend

the ISA and premium bond schemes... The overall benefits bill will

continue to be capped so that public expenditure continues to be

controlled, and policies will be pursued so that people are helped

from welfare to work. My government will increase housing supply and

home ownership by reforming the planning system, enabling new,

locally led garden cities and supporting small house building

firms. Legislation will be brought forward to sell high-value

government land, encouraging development and increasing housing.

My ministers will continue to promote the Help to Buy and rights

to buy schemes to support homeownership. My government will

continue to deliver the best schools and skills for young people. In

England, my ministers will help more schools to become academies. They

will support more free schools to open, whilst continuing investment

to deliver more school places. Further reforms to GCSEs and

A-levels will be taken forward to raise standards in schools and

prepare school pupils for employment. My government will

increase the total number of apprenticeship places to 2 million

by the end of the Parliament. My government will continue to work to

build a fairer society. To improve education attainment and Child

health, my government will ensure all entrants will receive a free

school meals. Free childcare will be extended to more of the most

disadvantaged two-year-olds. And a bill will be introduced to help

families with childcare costs. A bill will be introduced to

strengthen the powers to prevent Modern Slavery Bill human traffic

while improving support for victims of such crimes. A bill will be

brought forward to provide that where a person acts heroically,

responsibly or for the benefit of others, this will be taken into

account by the courts. Legislation will be introduced to improve the

complaints system in the Armed Forces through the creation of an

ombudsman. A Serious Crime Bill will be brought forward to tackle child

neglect, disrupt serious organised crime and strengthened powers to

seize the Proceeds of Crime Act my government will continue its

programme of political reform. My ministers will introduce legislation

on the recall of members of Parliament. My government will

continue to implement new financial powers for the Scottish Parliament

and make the case. And to remain a part of the United Kingdom. My

ministers will continue with legislation, giving the National

Assembly For Wales and Welsh ministers more powerful taxation and

investment. My ministers more powerful taxation and

continue to work with the devolved administration in Northern Ireland

to rebalance the economy, promote reconciliation and create a shared

future. Draft legislation will be published providing for direct

elections to the national park authorities in England. Members of

the House of Commons, estimates for the public services will be laid

before you. My lords and members of the House of Commons, the United

Kingdom will work for peace and security on Europe's borders and

forced able relations between Russia and Ukraine based on respect for

national sovereignty, territorial integrity and international law. My

government will host the integrity and international law. My

in Wales as a sign of the United Kingdom's commitment to the

Alliance. My ministers will strive to improve the humanitarian

situation in Syria, to reduce violence and promote a political

settlement. It will work for a successful transition in

settlement. It will work for a efforts to prevent sexual violence

in conflict worldwide. My government will work to

in conflict worldwide. My government European Union, including

in conflict worldwide. My government role for members states and national

in conflict worldwide. My government parliaments. My ministers will also

champion efforts to secure a global agreement on climate change. Prince

Philip and I will pay a state visit to France and will attend events to

mark the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings. We look forward to

mark the 70th anniversary of the welcoming his Excellency the

mark the 70th anniversary of the Singapore on his forthcoming state

visit. Singapore on his forthcoming state

the House of Commons, I pray that the blessing of Almighty God may

rest upon your counsels. The speech has been delivered,

it is taken away by the Lord Chancellor. The pages of honour step

forward. The train is the assembled peers. And they leave

through the Prince's Chamber, back through the royal gallery, down to

the Robing Room, before they leave the Palace of Westminster. The

Gentlemen at Arms are forming a guard of honour inside the Prince's

Chamber. The prime minister. Along with Deputy Prime Minister, prepare

to leave the chamber of the Lord's. The Queen and the Duke go back

through the royal gallery. There was a reference in the Queen's Speech to

the state visit to France, because this is an incredibly busy week in

anyone's book. State opening today, and several garden parties this week

at Buckingham Palace. And then a three-day state visit to France,

which involves a visit to Paris to meet President Hollande and the

prime minister, and then to Normandy for those special 70th anniversary

commemorations of the day. That is this Friday. And then more events

for the Queen and the Duke in Paris on Saturday morning before they

return, so it is an incredibly busy week for them. The Prince of Wales

and the Duchess of Cornwall will also be in France for the D-Day 70th

anniversary. Back into the Robing Room, which

during the Second World War served as the chamber of the House of

Lords, because the building was badly damaged. The House of Commons

itself was almost destroyed. So the Commons met in the Lords and the

Lords met in the Robing Room. So, the return to the House of

Commons. Danny Alexander, Chief Secretary to the Treasury. And there

we have the Speaker and the Sergeant at arms.

And a gentleman with the beard, I just want to mention him before he

disappears. That is so Robert Rogers, Clark to the House of

Commons. He is about to retire after 40 years of service in Parliament.

So a quick mention of Sir Robert and the work he has done. I am sure a

lot of MPs will be pleased to recognise him. A little later, we

hope he will join Vicky for a chat about his time.

So, the Queen's Speech, the last of this Parliament. And yes, people

were saying it would be a little thin, but as we went through it and

making a list, the list was quite long, not just of bills, but of aims

and ambitions. Yes, be careful with that. I feel sorry for Her Majesty

for having to read out party political propaganda. It would be

better if she read out what the government would do instead of

phrases like long-term plan, continue to cut taxes, increase the

personal allowance and other political guff that is put in her

mouth not just by this government, but by the last one as well. But if

you look at the to-do list, that is what the Queen's Speech is,

Parliament's to-do list. We have got 11 new bills, which is not many. It

is the lowest number since the year before the last general election,

when there were ten. I am sure Tom will say, hold on, there are six

pills that are continuing to make their way through. In other words,

they did not finish in the last Parliamentary session. Those are

things like the high-speed to Bill. With the available time, that will

keep people reasonably busy. But what Jack Straw was saying before

and Matthew Parris was saying, where is the real substance? There were

important things that people might care passionately about, whether it

is plastic bags or modern slavery, there are things that matter

desperately that politicians do not do much about at election time. The

real meat in terms of the argument, though, which we may still talk

about in 30 years' time, is the pension reform. That is a dramatic

change to the way people save. Sajid, you had an important Treasury

role before the role you are in now. Remind us what the Queen said

about pensions? The government's tension reforms will also allow for

innovation in the private pensions market, to give greater control to

employees, extend the ice and premium bond schemes and abolish the

saver's 10p tax rate. There were a few elements there, but really the

pension reform. For someone who does not understand what it is about, in

a sentence, what is it? There are two major pensions bills. The first

one refers to the announcement made at the time of the Budget, which is

to allow people at the point of retirement to use their pension

funds as they wish, so they will no longer be obligated to purchase an

annuity. With any significant change, of course there is risk. No

one is pretending there is not. But what we have proposed, I think is a

lot better than the current system. Our view is that if people have been

sensible enough to save their entire working life to put this money

aside, there will also be sensible when they draw that money down and

we should not force them to make a choice that may not be right for

them. The second pension bill is about offering alternatives in terms

of how you invest in the private pensions market. It is referred to

as the collective pension schemes which have been used in other

countries such as the Netherlands, which is an alternative to the

current offerings we have each allow people to pull their investments

together to effectively take charge of the economies of scale that will

come from that fire having reduced costs. We think that will eventually

lead to having a higher pension. So it is providing more choice. We'll

all of that be law by the next election? I hope so. That is

certainly the intention. Let me pick up one point that Nick was saying.

There are 16 bills in total in this Queen's Speech. That doesn't include

three draft bills. By the same measure, that is three more than

there were in labour's last Queen's Speech. All day today, we have had a

in terms of quantity, this in terms of quantity, this

government is running out of steam, which is completely incorrect. What

matters most is the quality, not the quantity. The quality of the change

we are seeing here is continuing to build on what has been said. As the

Queen herself said, we have a long-term plan for the challenge is

this country faces, and that is what matters. With Labour, they might

have had a lot more bills during that time in Parliament overall, but

it left us with the deepest recession in almost 100 years and

the biggest visit of any G20 country in the world's largest banking

bailout. Jack, do you have any problem -- tom, any problem with the

pension provisions? No, they are about flexibility and freedom. They

are driven by a Liberal Democrat minister who is widely recognised as

the person who knows the most about pensions anywhere in the country.

One other area is what we are proposing in relation to

infrastructure and the support we are giving to small businesses. The

fantastic record we have got in terms of creation of employment, the

1.7 million new jobs that have come in the private sector, that is

overwhelmingly driven by small business. So we want to continue

what we are doing in terms of deregulation. So when we say there

are only 11 bills, one of the carried over bills is the

deregulation bill which I am involved in, which is about cutting

cost to businesses and the public sector. The other theme I wanted to

bring in and ask you about was Europe. Let's remind ourselves of

what the Queen had to say on that. My government will work to promote

reform in the European Union, including a stronger role for member

states and national parliaments. What does that mean? We are not

going to argue about this, there should be a stronger role for

national parliaments. In the Lisbon Treaty, that is how it is supposed

to be. Part of the problem is a cultural issue in Brussels. The

snuggly, this is not party policy, I would give a stronger role to

national parliaments by abolishing the direct elections to European

Parliament, because in my judgement, it has failed. The system we had

before worked perfectly satisfactorily, whether Parliament

was composed of representatives of national parliaments. We introduced

lots of changes to increase turnouts. Turnouts across Europe

have been going down and down. So I think we need to think about it, but

that is not remotely party policy. But certainly, as we saw in the

local and European elections, there is a profound sense of alienation

with the European Union. I am far from convinced that you get that

back by having a referendum, but we have to see it brought back. A

couple of things to say. Firstly, my recollection it be wrong about this,

but in the last Queen's Speech... The Queen is just leaving. We will

pick up that conversation shortly, because the Queen and Duke of

Edinburgh are preparing to leave the Palace of Westminster. Just

acknowledging the heads of the armed forces, who are lined up on her

right. And sharing a joke with Chris Grayling. The Lord Chancellor,

Baroness to Susan. The Lord Speaker. And checking the purse. It is a bit

late now, Jack! I think the Duke is explaining that on one occasion, the

speech was not put back properly. And then the lord chancellor was not

able to close the bag, which is very heavy. You have got to be careful

about it. Well, he is explaining it in a very animated way. That gives

you a sense that this part of it is very relaxed. It is. The Queen is

such a remarkable woman, at the age of 88. She can still carry out these

kinds of public duties. She must be relieved at this point, because the

heavy crowd has gone, the train has gone. The formal duty is over, so it

is a moment when she cannot quite relaxed, but tensions may be a bit

over. So, the members of the household cavalry have impatiently

standing to attention for the whole of the morning -- patiently standing

to attention. The heralds, as well. Taking their

place at the foot of the Victoria Tower, in the vicinity of the

Sovereign's Entrance. So those who greeted the Queen will be there to

say farewell. The Lord Great Chamberlain is in charge of the

royal parts of the palace. I am talking about the royal Gallery and

the Robing Room. And they have a responsibility for Westminster hall.

But most of the palace is not under royal jurisdiction. So the Marquis

of Cholmondeley is in charge of those royal bits of the Palace of

Westminster. And another look at the brand-new coach, the Diamond Jubilee

State Coach. A gimp 's at the interior, because

there are lots of little in later pieces of wood, highly polished,

which come from posters like Holyrood house and Windsor Castle

and Canterbury Cathedral. Lots of little samples, if you like, which

represent 1000 years of British and Commonwealth tradition. It is a real

work of art, to put it mildly. And to signal that the Queen is leaving,

the royal standard is being lowered. The union Jack is now back in place

above the Palace of Westminster. The fanfare has sounded, which means the

Queen is ready to leave. The coach is leaving, and once

again, in our studio, I have to say, we have a rather splendid view of

the Queen's departure. Just the roof of the coach in view. Although it is

a rather dull day, a little wet, everything is glistening and

gleaming. THE NATIONAL ANTHEM, PLAYED by the

band of the Welsh Guards. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall

are also taking part in the visit to France later in the week. They will

be meeting veterans in Normandy. They will then be taking part in the

big events on Friday. There is a big international event in the

afternoon, involving heads of state from around the world. And then

there will be the last formal parade of the Normandy veterans, before

they disbanded later this year. This is the Irish State Coach which

I believe was bought by Queen Victoria in 1852, when she paid a

visit to Dublin and took a liking to it. I believe it was the Lord Mayor

of Dublin's coach. So, for ?700, it was bought! But I do not think we

are putting a value on it today. After the Prince of Wales leaves, we

will go into the Royal Gallery and we can see the Imperial State Crown,

the Crown which was we made for George VI in 1937, and then adjusted

again in 1953 George VI in 1937, and then adjusted

the Queen. This is the one which is on display among the crown jewels at

the Tower of London. The prime item on display. And it is being taken

down to the Sovereign's Entrance. HUW EDWARDS: So, this is the final

part of the ceremonial. The first stage was earlier on, and

now we have Andrew Ford, the Controller of the Lord Chamberlain's

Office, the man who is in charge of lots of these royal events, garden

parties and investitures, it is his responsibly take to bring the Crown

to the Palace of Westminster. So, first, the Sword of State.

To be followed by the Cap of Maintenance, which we can just see

on the right. Safely inside. So, the Palace

looking rather calm, because we have had the main positions. On the

European matter, Jack Straw, what do the recent elections tell us about

the state of public opinion on Europe? I will ask colleagues as

well. We likely to see that translate into real policy?

Obviously there translate into real policy?

something in the Queen's Speech, but what are we likely to see in real

terms? What the recent elections tell us is that there is a level of

discontent, which is reflected not just in the UKIP vote, but in the

sentiment of voters of all parties about what has happened to the

European Union, risibly following the crisis in the euro. It is not a

project I was ever remotely in favour of, but that was a bridge too

far. What was interesting was that in many countries in Europe, you

have got parties which are explicitly anti-EU, but even in

those which are not, there are big debates taking place, even in

Germany, about as it were the repatriations of powers which are

unnecessary. In this country there is a broad consensus about what

needs to be done, we have just got to make sure that we build up

allies. One of my concerns out about the way Mr Cameron is operating is

that, over this crucial issue over who should be resident of the

European Commission, I share reservations about Jean-Claude

Juncker, let me tell you. His country has not had a great

reputation in terms of tax avoidance, for example, so I have

huge reservations about him, but you have got to build alliances. How

important is your commitment to a referendum? I would have liked to

have seen it in the Queen's Speech. But we could not have it because we

did not have coalition agreement on it. We tried everything we could

through private members' bill is to try to get that referendum

commitment through, but it was not possible to get it into the Queen's

Speech. But as a party, we are committed to its. What those

elections showed us is that there is significant discontent with

Britain's relationship with Europe, a feeling that too many powers have

gone to Brussels, and needs to come back. Where I respectfully disagree

with Jack is, I do not think there is broad consensus on this. The

Liberal Democrats and the Labour Party are happy with the status quo,

even suggesting that more powers could go to Europe. And you cannot

get a beer negotiation if that is what you truly believe without

having an in-out referendum. I am shaking my head because the Liberal

Democrats, we are in favour of reform at an EU level. For example,

the rigmarole of parliament meeting in two places, that kind of thing

has got to be changed. We have already legislated as a coalition

government for the to be a referendum if there was any

significant transition of powers. I think what the argument is about is,

how can we achieve reform, what is the most effective way of doing

that, is it by sniping from the sidelines or by getting stuck in,

trying to build allies, as Jack said? We are going to pause for a

second. We will be joining Vicki Young once again right now. One of

the oldest roles in Parliament is Clerk Of The Commons, which dates

back hundreds of years. It has been held for the last three years by Sir

Robert Rogers, who is retiring this year. What is it like to take part

in this kind of ceremony? It is a fantastic experience, and it reminds

us that there are three parts of parliament, the Lords, the Commons

and the Queen. And it is a day of contrasts. We have had the fantastic

ceremonial this morning, and this afternoon, the House resumes, and I

have two read out the title of a bill which underlines the fact that

it is the right of the Commons to proceed with business regardless of

what they may need to do in answer to the Queen's Speech. But the

dignified framework in the morning, and then the hurly-burly of

adversarial politics in the afternoon is a great contrast, and

it is part of what Parliament is. There are hundreds of thousands of

people who work here, aren't there? It is something like 2000 in the

House of Commons service, yes, with a fantastic range of skills and

experiences, we provide all the support services that the House

needs to conduct its business. I have got experts at rebuilding would

work, for example. That is just to maintain this incredible building.

And it goes right across to economic research experts, people who support

select committees, doorkeepers, who provide security, it is a remarkable

group of people. I am very proud to have led them for the last three

years. And you are retiring this year? On the 1st of August, yes.

What is your favourite memory? It is a panoply of memories, whether it is

the confidence vote in 1979, or great speeches, or moments, the vote

on Syria, perhaps, just a few months ago, where the role-play of the

Commons suddenly became a lot more important.

Having read his biography, I am told that he can actually speak a bit of

medieval Welsh. So in my book, he is a very good man. So, we are reaching

the end of the coverage. What are we going to be concentrating on in the

11 months up to the election, Tom? For the Liberal Democrats, it will

be about building a stronger economy, that is why we saw in the

Queen's Speech an emphasis on jobs in the private sector, why we saw

matters pertaining to apprenticeships in a fairer society.

We are investing in childcare and things like the pupil premium. These

are coalition priorities, and we need to continue with the long-term

plan which we have got for the country. We need to keep building a

stronger economy. But it shows that there is a lot more work to be done.

Jack? We are all agreed about a stronger economy. The big issue will

be about fairness. I thought it was interesting that the Queen's Speech

flattered what elevates -- what Ed Miliband has been saying about

energy and so forth. Along with the issue of housing as well. It is good

rhetoric, but not enough performance from the government. There is no

piece of legislation which will dominate the election. Either the

unexpected will come and trouble members of parliament, or frankly,

it will be on the campaign trail. And I think it is going to change

the electoral map of Britain. More on the BBC News Channel throughout

the day. Thanks for watching. Goodbye.