2016 - Live: BBC One The State Opening of Parliament


2016 - Live: BBC One

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It is 10.30am at Westminster where David Cameron's Government is about

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to present its plans for the year ahead in the Queen's Speech

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featuring a rich blend of pageantry and politics at the State Opening of

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Parliament. Yes, good morning, it is the start

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of a brand-new session of Parliament and Her Majesty, its Queen will

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arrive here at Westminster in a short while to open that new session

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setting out the Government's agenda. So one year after it was elected, is

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this Conservative Government running out of steam? As some of the critics

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insist or is it distracted as others are by the referendum campaign on

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Britain's future in the European Union? We will know soon enough when

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we see the list of Bills in the Queen's Speech and that, of course,

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let me underline is the main focus of today's events. Well, earlier

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this morning, David Cameron left Number Ten for Parliament. This will

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be Queen's Speech number six for him as Prime Minister, just the second

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for him as leader of a majority Conservative Government. It will

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tell us something about his priorities today. Also this morning,

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we saw Labour's Jeremy Corbyn making his way to the Commons. This time

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last year, let's not forget, he was a veteran Labour backbencher,

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playing no prominent role in the events of State Opening.

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And that involves walking alongside David Cameron as they attend the

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House of Lords to listen to the Queen's Speech. The ceremonial

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events have already started. Breakfast time this morning, there

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was some gentlemen performing an age old ritual.

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By the centre so march. These are the Yeomen of the Guard

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and they are preparing to perform the ceremonial search of the cellars

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of Westminster. And they are there in Prince's Chamber which is above

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the cellar's where Guy Fawkes was discovered in 1605. The pageantry

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and the colour already underway here at Westminster.

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I should say that everything is ready at the Sovereign's Entrance of

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the Palace of Westminster. This is where the Queen will be arriving in

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45 minutes time and the impressive ceremony of the State Opening will

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begin. Let's look inside the House of

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Lords. It is a magnificent sight. This is the most elaborate and

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Ritchie decorated -- richly decorated part of the Palace of

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Westminster. It is pretty packed, isn't it? High demand. No surprise,

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this is after all the biggest ceremonial event in the

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Parliamentary calendar. All the peers, wearing their appropriate

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Parliamentary robes. They are not allowed in today without the robes

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and this is where the Queen will deliver that speech from the throne

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of the House of Lords, the focal point of this great chamber designed

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in the middle of the 19th century. So that's the scene in the House of

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Lords. We will have another look inside the chamber later on to spot

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who is there and to see some of the new arrivals in the House of Lords.

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Let's come back to the studio and let me introduce my guests today.

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I'm delighted to say that Liz Truss is with us for the Conservatives,

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the Secretary of State for The environment, Food and Rural Affairs,

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we have Lucy Powell, the Shadow Secretary of State for Education and

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the for the Scottish National Party, we have Joanna Cherry. Welcome to

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you all. Thank you for coming. We're going to enjoy the day. There is

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lots of politics, but lots of colour to enjoy as well and of course,

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today, we wouldn't be the same without our political editor, Laura

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Kuenssberg. What are we looking forward to, Laura? I have come back

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through the warns of Westminster and I have just passed some of the

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horsemen lining up to take their places, their shining breast plates,

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they are having a last minute polish of their extraordinary uniforms and

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it is made me think, you know, there is one thing on this kind of day

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that just doesn't change, the spender of the occasion, the sense

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of the importance of the monarch coming down here to Westminster, but

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today, for me, there are two very important first and potentially a

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last, it is the first time we're going to see Jeremy Corbyn in his

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position walking alongside David Cameron at this kind of occasion,

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that's going to be a big political moment, more interestingly, I think,

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this could be David Cameron's last Queen's Speech as Prime Minister if

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the European referendum goes the wrong way for Number Ten. Just think

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about that for a moment. It is far from certain, of course, it is a big

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if, but surely he would only be human to be coming here with a just

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little bit of that thought in his mind. He wants to show today, there

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is still gas in the tank and his Government has plenty to do. The

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Conservative Party is having a really hard time at the moment. So

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we have a dismounted detachment of the Household Cavalry arriving as

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they always do, they look splendid, Laura already told us, they have

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been previousing, they are led by Captain Deano Wednesday, he is from

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Swansea. I was chatting to him yesterday. Telling me that lots of

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the young men taking part today, they are still in training, the

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youngest of them is 17 by the way. There are 16 of them currently under

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going equine training at the Household Cavalry training wing.

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They will be lining the staircase ready for the principle arrivals

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later on when the Imperial State Crown arrives, The Prince of Wales

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and the Duchess of Cornwall. Later on we will see the Queen and the

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Duke of Edinburgh arriving too. So, there they are. The first

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participants arriving for us in the Palace of Westminster ready for the

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State Opening to begin a little later. Laura was setting the scene

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for us, but I'm wondering what Liz made of this? This is a great event.

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It is fan TAssic to be in the studio. Fantastic to be here with

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this great vister of Parliament, I think what we will see today is the

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quality and quantity of Bills that we're putting forward will match up

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to the splendour of the occasion. We have got exciting reforms in terms

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of social reforms, so making sure our prisons are doing their job and

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rehabilitating offenders and helping children and helping get more

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children into adoption and also, major economic reforms to make sure

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our economy keeps on trackment we've got the lowest level of claimant

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count since 1975 and we are making huge progress and what we will see

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today is more exciting steps forward on that front. OK, thank you very

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much. Lucy, your take on the day's events? Like Liz and Laura said, it

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is a fantastic occasion. This is only my fourth Queen's Speech. So I

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think it is a wonderful day and shows Parliament in much better

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light than the weekly PMQs episode that we have to go through, so I'm

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looking forward to that, picking up on what Laura said there, as a

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Labour MP and a member of the Shadow Cabinet, I don't want this to be

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David Cameron's last Queen's Speech. I want us to remain in Europe. I

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wouldn't want Labour voters to think they can use this as an excuse to

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get rid of David Cameron because that would be the wrong thing for

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the country. A bit controversial there. Joanna, your thoughts? Well,

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it is interesting to see the pageantry from the outside. This is

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my second Queen's Speech and last year I was inside the Houses of

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Parliament and didn't get an overview of what was going on, what

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really matters, Huw is the content of the Queen's Speech and it seems

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to me the Government are running out of steam. They are very much

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focussed about fighting amongst themselves. What the Scottish

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National Party would like to see is a programme for Government which

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recognises that the austerity experiment of the Conservative Party

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has failed. That they have failed to meet their own targets and their own

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goals and that we need to invest in the economy and invest in public

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services and we need to increase fairness and equality across British

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society and we in the Scottish National Party would also like to

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see a Queen's Speech which brought forward the long awaited promise to

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deliver home rule and as near to federalism for Scotland which we

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don't believe we got in the recent Scotland Act. I'm not sure that will

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be in the Queen's Speech! Thank you very much. So before this morning's

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blend of ceremony and tradition gets underway. Why don't we get our

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bearings in the Palace of Westminster. We will start with the

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great archway. That's the Sovereign's Entrance. That's why the

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Queen's coach will arrive at the foot of the great big, Victoria

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Tower, that's the big square tower at the southern end of the palace

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which houses the parliamentary archives which was completed in

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1860, the Household Cavalry will be lining that staircase as we have

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just seen. They will be there when the Queen arrives later and she will

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proceed to the Robing Room, the Robing Room is the room over to the

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left here. As the camera pans over, the doors are shut. We're not

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allowed in there. There are no cameras allowed in the Robing Room.

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That's where the Imperial State Crown will be waiting for the

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Queen's arrival. Her Majesty, accompanied by the Duke of

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Edinburgh, will then begin the formal procession in State through

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this room, this wonderful space, this is called the Royal Gallery. It

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is a great, great part of the Palace of Westminster. One of the royal

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sections of the palace, it is full of diplomatic and military and other

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guests. They will make their way through here in procession, very

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formally into Prince's Chamber. Prince's Chamber is a small room

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that's next to the House of Lords. Very keen to show you this today. It

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is the first time we have been allowed to bring coverage from

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inside Prince's Chamber with its fine portraits of the Tudor dynasty.

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The room dominated by that big, white marble statue of Queen

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Victoria. The great, great-grandmother of the Queen

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Elizabeth II. The Queen will then enter the House of Lords to deliver

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the speech. The signal will be given to some members of Parliament from

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thele from the House of Commons. Here we are at the heart of the

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Palace of Westminster. This is the Central Lobby and this is going to

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be playing a very prominent role in today's events and my colleague,

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Vicki Young is there. That's right, this is a great

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vantage point to see some of the most well-known parts of today's

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ceremony. It starts with the Speaker's Procession and we will

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hear the cry of "hats off strangers" and then Black Rod is sent down from

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the House of Lords through here with an invitation to MPs to listen to

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the Queen's Speech. But he doesn't exactly get a warm welcome. The huge

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wooden door is slammed in his face, a symbol of the independence of the

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House of Commons. Now, today, of course, is all about tradition and

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no one knows that better than the Queen herself. I have been looking

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back at some of her appearances at State Openings which span more than

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half a century. It was in 1952 that Her Majesty

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delivered her first Queen's Speech to Parliament and there was no less

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pomp and ceremony then. NEWSREEL: The Queen wearing a gold

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brocade dress and a diamond and pearl tiara is a picture

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of grace and charm to delight Six years later, the Queen's Speech

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was first broadcast to the British It was an era of profound change

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for post-war Britain. My Government will neglect no

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opportunity to promote the advance of the colonial territories

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and the increasing association of their peoples with the management

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of their own affairs. The decade that followed saw

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the Queen play a crucial role as former colonies became

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independent of Britain and part NEWSREEL: Here the Queen met

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the people and indeed almost rubbed The 1960s also saw changes in social

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attitudes, reflected Facilities will be provided

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for a free decision by Parliament It was also a decade that passed

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the Race Relations Act and saw abortion and homosexuality

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legalised. Britain's relationship

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with Europe was a cornerstone Within 12 months the British people

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will be given the opportunity to decide whether in the light

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of the outcome of the negotiations this country should

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retain its membership. Britain chose to stay inside

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the European Economic Community. The traditions of the State Opening

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have changed little over the years and Her Majesty has worked with no

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less than 12 different Each with their own distinctive

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programme of Government. My Government will continue

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their policies of exposing State-owned businesses

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to competition and where appropriate, returning them

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to the private sector. 1997 saw the first Queen's Speech

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of the Blair era. It promised a referendum

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on a Scottish Parliament and a commitment to continue

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the Northern Ireland Peace Process. My Government will seek

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reconciliation and a political settlement which has broad support,

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working in co-operation The following year saw the signing

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of the Good Friday Agreement. In 2010, a newly formed coalition

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was focussed on the economy. The first priority is to reduce

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the deficit and restore Last year, Britain's

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relationship with its European Early legislation will be introduced

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to provide for an in-out referendum Britain has changed immeasurably

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in the 64 years since the Queen delivered her first to speech

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to Parliament, but the ceremony has altered little over her reign

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and at 90, the Queen continues to carry out her duty

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as monarch in accordance Well, all of the ceremony and

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pageantry is to come, the Queen will be riding in a short while, but

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there was a reference to the European Union and the fact that

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there is a vote taking place, and the fact is, it is impossible,

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despite that long list of bills, there is a backdrop to this Queen's

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Speech that we cannot avoid. Absolutely, the governing party is

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engaged in knocking lumps out of each other during this campaign,

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because it is a fundamental disagreement inside the Government.

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Ministers who take their seats next to David Cameron at the Cabinet

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table fundamentally disagree with him, and it is impossible to

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separate that backdrop, not least because we know some controversial

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things have been delayed or put off from the Queen's Speech, one in

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particular has caused real concern in the Tory party, the idea of a

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British Bill of Rights. Instead of a Bill today, there will be another

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commitment to do it at some point. The referendum has put that off. The

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Gentlemen at Arms, one of the royal bodyguards, the most senior, the

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nearest guard, instituted by Henry VIII in 1509, they celebrate and

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their 500th anniversary in 2009 and they play a prominent role in the

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State Opening. The Gentlemen at Arms is captained by the Chief Whip of

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the House of Lords, they will be leading through the Royal Gallery as

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the procession gets under way. So as they take their place, we will pick

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up on the theme that Laurette usefully gave us, the European

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context. We are going to join Vicki with some guests. It does feel like

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political debate has been dominated by discussion over the European

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referendum for several months. I'm joined by the former leader of the

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Conservative Party, Iain Duncan Smith, and Chris Bryant for Labour.

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First of all, Iain Duncan Smith, today is about democracy, in the

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heart of Parliament, how much of your argument about the UK leaving

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the EU is about democracy? Well, obviously, a huge section of this is

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about who governs you, who has the right to say that a government

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elected to decide what legislation can pass will be struck down by a

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super national court. There are arguments about economics which both

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sides will argue that I believe Britain will be ultimately better

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off, so it is not just about democracy, it is a critical part,

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who governs you, can an elected check a government out to make new

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rules and not be overruled by a court in Europe? That is a big, big

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issue for people, because although they do not think about it every

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day, it is very important, when you cast your vote that you believe you

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are voting for a sovereign parliament that makes those rules

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and nobody can overturn them. How much of a problem is it for your

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site that it is difficult to paint a picture of what life will be like

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outside of the EU? The of the unknown is a factor, isn't it?

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Everybody fears risk, but everything you do in life is about risk, you

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step out across the road, you take a risk. Nothing is ever as you think

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it will be for the future. The idea that there are no risks by staying

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in the European Union when you have a report telling us they will go

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harder and deeper, more centralised, concentrating around the euro area,

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problems of mass migration and the Italian banks going insolvent. We do

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not know what the next five or ten years of the European Union looks

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like, and that poses risks to the UK. There are risks on both sides,

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but to be told there are no risks of remaining, when we have seen and

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massively change over the last 25 years, that is not so. Chris Bryant,

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the economic adamant has been a big part of the debate, but when you

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look at the EU countries, they are not doing so well. I love the idea

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that today is all about democracy. We are about to trade stand the

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House of Lords that has 800 unelected people in it! -- traipse

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down. People say there is a real financial

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risk, and there was not a single independent report that the league

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campaign can point to which says we will be financially better off if we

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leave the European Union. Me, there is a democratic issue, which is I

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want to be able to affect the decisions that affect everybody's

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lives in this country. I want to sit around the table that draws up rules

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on dealing with the European arrest warrant, that sits around the table

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when we decide about rules and children's toys kettles or whatever

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it is. We magnify our voice through the European Union. We have won 92%

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of our rows that have been in the European Union, we have been on the

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winning side of the demand, that is a pretty good record. So we will be

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marginalised if we leave? The UK is the fifth largest economy, in the

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world, the fourth most potent defence structure. We said on the

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United Nations Security Council, we are part of Nato. The whole point I

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make is the idea that there is an absolute one side but not on the

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other is a nonsense. As Chris just said, all the independent reports

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say we would be worse off. That is not true, all the independent report

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make a simple point, that the UK, on leaving the EU, would still grow and

:20:27.:20:36.

be better off. The debate about whether you'd be marginally better

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off according to their forecast if you stayed in, but you are going to

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be better off. I think families will be worse off. These are the people

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who told us to go into the euro, go into the ERM! I have heard you

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defend in the stands to be prognostic Asians what will happen

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to the economy in the future. And we all know forecast are invariably

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wrong! I come from a tradition which means that which you far more pie,

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endeavour than by going it alone. We cannot return to the 1950s, to a

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hermetically sealed unit. We are far better off remaining. A little taste

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of the robust political argument that has been going on for several

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months. A tased indeed, thank you very much, and do your guests. This

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is the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, and this is a rather

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important arrival, the Blues and Royals today providing the escort

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for the regalia, in other words the Imperial State Crown, the Cap of

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Maintenance and the Sword of State, the three grades of royal authority

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which will arrive at the Palace of Westminster before the Prince of

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Wales and the Queen later on. -- the three great symbols. The Imperial

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State Crown, the Cap of Maintenance, which will be taken into the palace

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and put on display in the Royal Gallery ahead of the Queen's arrival

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in a short while. The Queen Alexandra State Coach being used

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today, and inside the coach we have Lieutenant Colonel Sir Andrew Ford,

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who will be appearing quite soon, because he is the man who is in

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charge of looking after the Imperial State Crown.

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And into the Sovereign's Entrance, at the foot of the Victoria Tower.

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And they are now dismounting, we have the Bargemaster, Paul Ludwig, a

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very ancient appointment in the royal household, from the days when

:22:55.:22:57.

the monarch used to use the Thames to travel around. The Bargemaster is

:22:58.:23:05.

in charge of the delivery of the regalia today. And the crowd in

:23:06.:23:18.

July, Martin swift, has been here close to corps years. -- the Crown

:23:19.:23:30.

jeweller. Andrew Ford is in charge of very important part of the

:23:31.:23:36.

Queen's diary and these great ceremonial occasions, he will be

:23:37.:23:45.

presented with the Crown. Followed by Lieutenant Colonel Michael Vernon

:23:46.:23:49.

with the Cap of Maintenance and the Sword of State.

:23:50.:24:02.

The Imperial State Crown, made in 1937 for George VI, and then

:24:03.:24:11.

modified in 1952-3 for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. It

:24:12.:24:15.

is being taken into the Regalia Room at the bottom of the Sovereign's

:24:16.:24:26.

Staircase. Just there on the left. The other symbols, the sword and the

:24:27.:24:31.

cap, they will be taken in, and they will be prepared for being put on

:24:32.:24:37.

display in the Royal Gallery. That will just take a few minutes, for

:24:38.:24:48.

that to be arranged. So the Crown has been safely delivered here at

:24:49.:24:51.

the Palace of Westminster, and we will talk about that later and the

:24:52.:24:57.

symbolism of the Sword of State and the Cap of Maintenance, because they

:24:58.:25:01.

are very ancient symbols of the sovereign's authority and power. It

:25:02.:25:04.

seems like a good moment to big up with my guests again on the European

:25:05.:25:09.

theme. The backdrop, as Laura said, is all-important. Rather difficult

:25:10.:25:15.

to date for us to be discussing a list of proposed legislation without

:25:16.:25:18.

really paying attention to the kind of debate that we had there, which

:25:19.:25:23.

is rather lively, and has exposed divisions in all parties, but

:25:24.:25:27.

certainly your party. What you make of that backdrop? What I would say

:25:28.:25:32.

is that we have an important programme of legislation, yes, we

:25:33.:25:36.

have the European referendum next month, a very important decision for

:25:37.:25:41.

the British people. However, once that referendum is over, and I'm

:25:42.:25:44.

confident in the good sense of the British people that people will come

:25:45.:25:48.

to the conclusion that we are better off remaining part of the European

:25:49.:25:53.

Union, we have a very important programme of domestic reform, making

:25:54.:25:56.

sure that people in all walks of life can get on, whether that is

:25:57.:26:01.

through reforming our prisons, improving our education system,

:26:02.:26:07.

whether it is improving our economy, making sure we invest in

:26:08.:26:09.

infrastructure. All those things are what British people really care

:26:10.:26:13.

about, and it is vital that the Government gets on with that

:26:14.:26:16.

programme of work. What we will see in the Queen's Speech today is a

:26:17.:26:19.

substantial programme of work. The Crown being brought up to the Royal

:26:20.:26:26.

Gallery itself, being put on a rather more grand cushion for this

:26:27.:26:29.

display that will happen in the Royal Gallery, carried in very

:26:30.:26:35.

solemnly by Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Ford, formerly of the Welsh

:26:36.:26:39.

Guards, but now in post for ten years at Buckingham Palace.

:26:40.:26:44.

Presenting the Crown to the Marquess of Cholmondeley, who holds a very

:26:45.:26:52.

important position in the Palace of Westminster as the man in charge of

:26:53.:26:57.

all of the Royal sections of the Palace, including the Royal Gallery,

:26:58.:27:02.

the Robing Room, the Sovereign's Staircase, and with joint

:27:03.:27:05.

stewardship of places like Westminster Hall with the Speaker of

:27:06.:27:10.

the House of Commons. So the Crown is on display, and a very soon we

:27:11.:27:15.

will also have the Sword of State and the Cap of Maintenance. Just a

:27:16.:27:18.

couple of words about these, the Sword of State states from the 17th

:27:19.:27:25.

century, used at coronations. The cap is a symbol of the sovereign's

:27:26.:27:31.

authority. In ancient times, in the Middle Ages, a gift from the Pope to

:27:32.:27:36.

favoured onyx. The cap then warned by some kings on the way to their

:27:37.:27:47.

coronations. -- worn. I believe George VI wore it on the way to his

:27:48.:27:52.

coronation. They will stay there waiting for the Queen's arrival in a

:27:53.:27:59.

short while. We just had Liz explaining the Government's

:28:00.:28:01.

perspective on the legislation coming up, but in the context of the

:28:02.:28:05.

European referendum, I know that you are backing Remain very firmly, but

:28:06.:28:11.

there are divisions in Labour as well. Your thoughts today on that

:28:12.:28:16.

backdrop. The divisions in the Labour Party are not really there,

:28:17.:28:21.

we support Britain staying in the European Union, but what we will see

:28:22.:28:24.

in this Queen's Speech is a government that has run out of

:28:25.:28:28.

steam, and I think the backdrop of the referendum is only a small part

:28:29.:28:31.

of that. David Cameron has only had a majority Conservative government

:28:32.:28:35.

for one year, and the fact that they cannot come forward with an exciting

:28:36.:28:40.

and coherent, not just Queen's Speech but strategy for the

:28:41.:28:44.

country... More than 20 bills, probably. Up there is no coherent

:28:45.:28:49.

strategy, we have a pick'n'mix of bills that they can get agreement

:28:50.:29:00.

on, the key education bill had to be dropped after opposition from all

:29:01.:29:05.

sides. They are acting against what the Government is doing on the

:29:06.:29:09.

ground, so they talk about wanting to support families, but they are

:29:10.:29:12.

cutting away all support to families on the ground, you know, tax credits

:29:13.:29:20.

cuts, support for families on the ground has all but disappeared. That

:29:21.:29:24.

is why we are seeing more families in crisis, there is no strategy

:29:25.:29:25.

here. Joanna your thoughts, some thoughts

:29:26.:29:34.

on the euro backdrop? The Government have got its eye off the ball, how

:29:35.:29:37.

could it be otherwise, the Conservative Party are split down

:29:38.:29:40.

the middle and too are the Government and the Cabinet. It is

:29:41.:29:43.

deeply concerning because of the splits in the Conservative Party

:29:44.:29:46.

those of us who wish to remain in the EU are not seeing a positive

:29:47.:29:50.

case articulated, the case for being in Europe. I would like to see the

:29:51.:29:54.

Government rather than spinning scare stories, I would like to see

:29:55.:29:58.

them articulate the fact that we have had 60 years of relative peace

:29:59.:30:03.

in Europe. Europe opens us up to a Common Market of 500 million

:30:04.:30:07.

consumers and also, from the Scottish National Party's point of

:30:08.:30:12.

view, the European Union gives us guarantees and protections against

:30:13.:30:18.

some of the more activities in relation to Human Rights and social

:30:19.:30:22.

issues. The Queen is leaving the Palace with the Duke of Edinburgh

:30:23.:30:29.

and they are travelling today in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach. A

:30:30.:30:34.

wonderful sight. It is the third time, I think, that the coach has

:30:35.:30:37.

been used for the State Opening. It is a relatively new coach built to

:30:38.:30:42.

celebrate the Diamond Jubilee in 2012. It was unveiled in 2014. It

:30:43.:30:49.

was designed by Jim Frecklington who was responsible for the construction

:30:50.:30:53.

of the Australia State Coach which we also see on these big occasions.

:30:54.:31:04.

The Duke will be celebrating his 90th birth dan on 10th June and the

:31:05.:31:10.

Diamond Jubilee State Coach leaving the main courtyard at Buckingham

:31:11.:31:14.

Palace and making its way towards the Mall.

:31:15.:31:24.

I should say, of course, last year we were enjoying some rather

:31:25.:31:27.

glorious weather. Everything was glinting! My guests are laughing in

:31:28.:31:31.

the studio because it is rather wet today.

:31:32.:31:35.

The forecast is not great. And it is meant to rain for most of the day

:31:36.:31:39.

here in Central London. I'm just looking out now and it seems to be,

:31:40.:31:45.

well not raining heavily, but it is certainly raining and that

:31:46.:31:48.

inevitably will cause a little bit of an effect on proceedings, but it

:31:49.:31:52.

is a great sight, isn't it? That coach there is a grand sight on a

:31:53.:31:56.

day like this on the State Opening. We rarely see a procession of this

:31:57.:32:03.

kind and just behind the coach there, we have the Sovereign's

:32:04.:32:07.

Escort, two divisions of the Blues and Royals, two divisions of the

:32:08.:32:11.

Life Guards, the Blues and Royals in their dark blue tunics and the Life

:32:12.:32:17.

Guards in their dazzling red tunics. 116 men and horses in four divisions

:32:18.:32:24.

and the Field Officer commanding the Queen's escort today, Major Alex

:32:25.:32:30.

Owen of the Blues and Royals. Back in the Royal Gallery, the lord

:32:31.:32:39.

great chamber, the marquess of Cholmondeley. He will take the Crown

:32:40.:32:44.

into the Robing Room on the left-hand side there. And don't they

:32:45.:32:50.

look splendid? The two state trumpeters in their medieval uniform

:32:51.:32:52.

on either side of the door. They will be sounding the fanfare for

:32:53.:32:55.

when the Royal Procession starts later on. They're already in place.

:32:56.:32:59.

So the Crown being taken into the Robing Room. The Robing Room by the

:33:00.:33:08.

way, is also a beautiful room with some magnificent portraits of

:33:09.:33:13.

legends and it is where the Queen will be preparing for that Royal

:33:14.:33:17.

Procession. So we were mentioning just before we stopped there, we

:33:18.:33:20.

were mentioning the fact that we have a list of Bills today. The Bill

:33:21.:33:24.

of Rights issue, Laura, can I bring you on to that? This is something we

:33:25.:33:28.

discussed last year and we've not seen. So what is your reading of

:33:29.:33:33.

that this year? Well, this has been quite a torturous process for the

:33:34.:33:37.

Conservative Party. Long ago now, it feels like, David Cameron promised

:33:38.:33:40.

that there would be a British Bill of Rights. Essentially, a different,

:33:41.:33:45.

some people would argue, slightly watered down version of the various

:33:46.:33:49.

combination of European treaties that we're currently signed up to,

:33:50.:33:52.

the treaties that caused real concern particularly in the Tory

:33:53.:33:56.

Party particularly about how they restrict our ability to do certain

:33:57.:34:01.

things. The fundamental point is whether UK law or EU law is supreme

:34:02.:34:04.

in this country and the Conservatives have been looking for

:34:05.:34:09.

a fix on this for sometime. Not so long ago, in February, March time,

:34:10.:34:12.

the Government did have a proposal on sovereignty worked up. It was

:34:13.:34:16.

that proposal that didn't satisfy Boris Johnson enough to campaign to

:34:17.:34:22.

stay in the EU. But we don't expect that proposal to come forward today.

:34:23.:34:27.

We're going to have an IOU that it will happen on some point. Any light

:34:28.:34:31.

to shed on that? On the issue of the sovereignty Bill, of course, we need

:34:32.:34:35.

to wait for the outcome of the referendum. That is material in that

:34:36.:34:39.

issue and on the subject of the British Bill of Rights, we are

:34:40.:34:42.

committed to it. We need to make sure we get it right and I think it

:34:43.:34:46.

is right, that the Government brings forward legislation when it is ready

:34:47.:34:51.

to do so, when we have made sure we've sorted out the legal issues.

:34:52.:34:57.

It is a complex legal issue... It is more complex than you thought, is

:34:58.:35:01.

that fair? We are still working on it. The point I would make is there

:35:02.:35:07.

is a really priority issues which are in today's Queen's Speech,

:35:08.:35:10.

whether that's on prison reform, whether that's on sorting out

:35:11.:35:13.

Britain's infrastructure, whether it is on areas like digital

:35:14.:35:17.

communications that are very important for getting our economy

:35:18.:35:24.

moving. We get criticised if we bring something out that's not ready

:35:25.:35:28.

and we get criticised if we spend time thinking about it. My view as a

:35:29.:35:33.

Government minister, it is better to do the groundwork and get things

:35:34.:35:37.

sorted out and put things forward when they are ready. We have a

:35:38.:35:40.

substantial programme of social reform here.

:35:41.:35:47.

Just outside the Palace of Westminster and The Prince of Wales

:35:48.:36:02.

and the Duchess of Cornwall are arriving.

:36:03.:36:09.

They are in the Irish State Coach. The carriage procession of the Life

:36:10.:36:13.

Guards travelling escort of the Household Cavalry mounted regiment

:36:14.:36:16.

and 16 men on horses in the escort for The Prince of Wales and under

:36:17.:36:22.

the command of Major Ben Wolf squadron leader of the Life Guards.

:36:23.:36:26.

The National Anthem having been played, a curtailed version of it

:36:27.:36:29.

for The Prince of Wales and the Prince and the duchess will arrive

:36:30.:36:35.

at the Sovereign's Entrance and I think this is the third time that

:36:36.:36:40.

they've attended the State Opening together.

:36:41.:37:18.

They salute the arrival of the Duchess of Corn wal and The Prince

:37:19.:37:25.

of Wales who is 67 this year and the longest serving heir apparent in

:37:26.:37:29.

British history having held that position since 1952. A grand total

:37:30.:37:35.

of 64 years. He is the oldest heir to the throne since 1714. He won't

:37:36.:37:39.

thank me for saying that! They are impressive statistics. So The Prince

:37:40.:37:43.

of Wales and the duchess making their way up there to the

:37:44.:37:47.

sovereign's, through the Sovereign's Entrance up to the Royal Staircase

:37:48.:37:51.

there which will lead to the Royal Gallery. There we have the Duke of

:37:52.:37:57.

Norfolk, the air marshal, another of these great officers of State. He is

:37:58.:38:02.

t man who is responsible for organising some of the biggest

:38:03.:38:06.

events that involve the Royal Family including coronations and state

:38:07.:38:09.

funerals. He has been working very hard to make sure that today's

:38:10.:38:15.

events are running like clockwork. So the Duke of Norfolk there, the

:38:16.:38:21.

hereditary position leading The Prince of Wales and the Duchess up

:38:22.:38:28.

into the Royal Gallery. Through the Norman Porch and then

:38:29.:38:32.

into the Robing Room where they will have a little break before they

:38:33.:38:34.

enter the Royal Gallery itself. Into the Robing Room where the doors

:38:35.:38:48.

will be firmly closed because we're not allowed in there.

:38:49.:38:55.

And another procession is underway. This is the Lord Speaker's

:38:56.:39:00.

procession. This is baroness D'Souza approaching the end of her term as

:39:01.:39:04.

Lord Speaker. In a few weeks time. So this is the last time we will see

:39:05.:39:08.

her in this role at the State Opening Parliament. She presides

:39:09.:39:13.

over sittings of the House of Lords and Baroness D'Souza taking her

:39:14.:39:16.

place there ready to greet Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh

:39:17.:39:23.

when they arrive. And there we have the Lord

:39:24.:39:29.

Chancellor, Michael Gove, making his way to the porch as well, ready for

:39:30.:39:34.

the Queen's arrival. He, of course, has the task of presenting the

:39:35.:39:38.

speech to the Queen. It is in that great big purse that

:39:39.:39:44.

is being carried by the Pursebearer. I hope they've checked it is in

:39:45.:39:48.

there, because that's an important check early in the morning otherwise

:39:49.:39:51.

there would be an embarrassing episode in the House of Lords, but

:39:52.:39:55.

normally the purse is inside, the speech is safely inside the purse

:39:56.:39:59.

and Michael Gove will deliver it a little later. Outside the Palace of

:40:00.:40:04.

Westminster, what a sight, that's Horse Guards Parade and just on the

:40:05.:40:09.

fringes of St James' Park there. The stands already in place for the

:40:10.:40:15.

Queen's Birthday Parade in June. Trooping the Colour. And the Queen's

:40:16.:40:23.

procession already making its way towards the Horseguards Building and

:40:24.:40:26.

it will emerge from the Horseguards Arch on to Whitehall and then

:40:27.:40:30.

they'll have Parliament Square and Big Ben in sight.

:40:31.:40:41.

Back in the Royal Gallery, where the Yeomen of the Guard are providing a

:40:42.:40:54.

Guard of Honour. Here we have the leader of the House of Lords. It is

:40:55.:41:09.

her job today to be in this Royal Procession carrying the Cap of

:41:10.:41:14.

Maintenance and then we'll have the Sword of State also being carried

:41:15.:41:19.

that that State Procession through the Royal Gallery. And they will

:41:20.:41:27.

make their way up to this end of the Royal Gallery so they can retrieve

:41:28.:41:30.

the cap and the sword ready for the Queen's arrival.

:41:31.:41:42.

And we're on Whitehall by now. The bands are playing. The Guards of

:41:43.:41:47.

Honour at certain points including the Queen's Gardens at Buckingham

:41:48.:41:51.

Palace and down there on College Green near the Houses of Parliament,

:41:52.:41:54.

passing the Ministry of Defence there on the left, the great white

:41:55.:42:01.

structure and Downing Street on the right and past the Wales Office

:42:02.:42:07.

which I know rather well! And down past the Treasury and the Foreign

:42:08.:42:09.

Office down towards Parliament Square and the camera lens telling

:42:10.:42:15.

you what the weather is like. A few drops.

:42:16.:42:21.

Very pleased to have live coverage today from inside Prince's Chamber

:42:22.:42:24.

because these things add to the sense of occasion and the wonderful

:42:25.:42:28.

par traits on the wall in this Prince's Chamber. We can just

:42:29.:42:36.

glimpse there, Louis the 12th of France. He was married to Mary Tudor

:42:37.:42:42.

at one point. So you have the Tudor dynasty represented here. It is a

:42:43.:42:47.

wonderful, this in Parliamentary terms is referred to the small ante

:42:48.:42:52.

room. It is a rather grand room, but it is the room that's between the

:42:53.:42:56.

Royal Gallery and the chamber of the House of Lords. It is where lots of

:42:57.:43:00.

Lords congregate to discuss the business of the day. They use it as

:43:01.:43:03.

a kind of lobby if you like, but on the day of the State Opening, we

:43:04.:43:07.

have the Gentlemen at Arms in there ready for the procession.

:43:08.:43:21.

And past the Cenotaph and down towards Westminster and the Life

:43:22.:43:26.

Guards leading the way, the Sovereign's Escort. Followed right

:43:27.:43:31.

at the back by the Blues and Royals. Two divisions of each for the

:43:32.:43:33.

Sovereign's Escort today. The bells of Westminster Abbey and

:43:34.:44:00.

St Margaret's ringing loudly today. And as the royal procession

:44:01.:44:43.

approaches the Sovereign's Entrance, the national anthem will be played.

:44:44.:45:05.

The Queen and the Duke arriving for the State Opening, a slightly

:45:06.:46:02.

different arrival this year, I will explain in a couple of seconds, but

:46:03.:46:06.

the carriage making its way, and the fanfare will be sounded by the state

:46:07.:46:10.

trumpeters. The fanfare has been sounded, very

:46:11.:46:57.

soon the Union flag will be lowered and the Royal Standard will be

:46:58.:47:01.

raised because the Queen is at the Palace of Westminster. I mentioned

:47:02.:47:05.

the slightly different arrangement this year. Buckingham Palace are

:47:06.:47:09.

telling us that for the Queen's comfort and convenience, she will

:47:10.:47:14.

not be taking the usual route up to the Robing Room. She will be

:47:15.:47:17.

bypassing the Royal Staircase and using one of the lifts in the

:47:18.:47:25.

Victoria Tower. So what is going to happen now is that those members of

:47:26.:47:28.

the Household Division awaiting there for the arrival of the Queen,

:47:29.:47:34.

she will emerge at this point, just near the Robing Room. The pages of

:47:35.:47:39.

honour are waiting, and we have some of the heads of the Armed Forces

:47:40.:47:45.

waiting too. Waiting for the Queen to emerge from an entrance on the

:47:46.:47:49.

left, not the usual procession up the staircase today. And then it is

:47:50.:47:55.

a direct route for the Queen into the Robing Room itself. The room

:47:56.:48:02.

itself, we get a glimpse of it now and again, it was actually used as

:48:03.:48:06.

the chamber of the House of Lords during the Second World War when the

:48:07.:48:09.

Palace of Westminster was badly damaged. The House of Lords moved

:48:10.:48:13.

into the Robing Room, used it as a chamber. It was even used as a venue

:48:14.:48:18.

for the State Opening, and the House of Commons relocated to Church House

:48:19.:48:22.

in Westminster, which is not too far away. The Robing Room has been used

:48:23.:48:29.

for different things over the years. The Earl Marshal accompanying the

:48:30.:48:41.

Queen. And the Duke of Edinburgh opening the doors to the Robing

:48:42.:48:51.

Room. There will be a few minutes as the Queen and the Duke prepare

:48:52.:48:54.

themselves for the procession in state, there we are, a slightly

:48:55.:48:57.

different arrangement for the Queen's arrival. Black Rod, the

:48:58.:49:04.

gentleman just walking along there, is the man who is in charge of

:49:05.:49:09.

security in the House of Lords, who will be playing a prominent role

:49:10.:49:12.

later in this ceremony. And here we have the heralds. In ancient time,

:49:13.:49:18.

they were royal messengers, they performed a very important function

:49:19.:49:21.

for monarchs as trusted messengers. These days, they are in charge of

:49:22.:49:29.

the rules of heraldry, the College of Arms, and they represent

:49:30.:49:32.

different levels of seniority and different parts of the United

:49:33.:49:34.

Kingdom too. Led by Thomas Woodcock, the most

:49:35.:49:52.

senior of the heralds presents today, followed by the great

:49:53.:49:59.

Parliamentary maces. So a solemn procession there through the Royal

:50:00.:50:03.

Gallery for the heralds, and there is Black Rod, Lieutenant macro

:50:04.:50:13.

Lieutenant General David Leakey, who has been imposed since 2010. -- in

:50:14.:50:20.

post. The heralds now taking their position, and they are ready now for

:50:21.:50:27.

the Queen to emerge from the Robing Room, ready for the procession to

:50:28.:50:31.

begin into the House of Lords. There we see Black Rod making his way

:50:32.:50:41.

towards the Prince's Chamber. He will be making his way down to the

:50:42.:50:45.

House of Lords. Later on, it will be his job to summon MPs to the House

:50:46.:50:47.

of Lords. So the position now is that everyone

:50:48.:51:11.

is waiting for all of the key players to be ready, if you like.

:51:12.:51:17.

The Queen and the Duke will take a few minutes in the Robing Room to

:51:18.:51:20.

get ready, the Crown, the Queen wears the Imperial State Crown, and

:51:21.:51:25.

supported by the Duke they will get ready for that very grand

:51:26.:51:29.

procession, which, by the way, has not really changed since the middle

:51:30.:51:33.

ages. It is very, very special event for us to see, only seen at the

:51:34.:51:37.

State Opening of Parliament, a procession of this scale, other

:51:38.:51:42.

than, of course, at the Coronation, which is a different order again. We

:51:43.:51:47.

were discussing some of the elements of the legislation, a Bill of

:51:48.:51:50.

Rights, your thoughts on that, please. It is another example of how

:51:51.:51:55.

the Government cannot agree some of its big bills that it wanted to

:51:56.:51:58.

bring forward in this Queen's Speech. And we will see whether that

:51:59.:52:03.

happens, we will see what they have got to say on education... Good idea

:52:04.:52:09.

or not? We have got a sufficient framework of a Bill of Rights within

:52:10.:52:15.

the EU... You would oppose it anyway? We would have to see what

:52:16.:52:19.

they come forward with, but this is more about internal divisions within

:52:20.:52:23.

the Tory party, as far as I can see, rather than necessity for the UK.

:52:24.:52:28.

Your thoughts? The Government have got themselves in a wheel mess, this

:52:29.:52:32.

time last year we had been promised a Bill of Rights but it was not in

:52:33.:52:37.

the Queen's Speech, all that was in it was a promise of a consultation

:52:38.:52:42.

which we still have not got. There was such widespread cross-party

:52:43.:52:45.

concern about the idea of repealing the Human Rights Act. Not only are

:52:46.:52:50.

members of the Government talking about repealing the Human Rights

:52:51.:52:54.

Act, they are also talking about withdrawing from the European

:52:55.:52:57.

Convention on Human Rights. The Home Secretary gave a major speech on

:52:58.:53:00.

this recently, a curious position for her, because she wants to remain

:53:01.:53:05.

within the EU, and by convention all member states signed up to the

:53:06.:53:08.

European Convention on Human Rights. But it would be the most terrible

:53:09.:53:11.

signal to send out internationally for UK to withdraw from this

:53:12.:53:16.

international convention. We are in the Central Lobby. At South,

:53:17.:53:25.

strangers! The familiar command before the speaker's procession. --

:53:26.:53:33.

hats off. The Serjeant at Arms there, who was appointed just last

:53:34.:53:39.

year as Serjeant at Arms in charge of keeping order in the house of

:53:40.:53:47.

Commons, and then John Bercow, who has been in post since 2009. This

:53:48.:53:52.

corridor leads to the Members' Lobby, the speaker's arrival being

:53:53.:53:58.

loudly proclaimed as he goes along. There is the Serjeant at Arms,

:53:59.:54:06.

members greeting the Speaker, some of them probably more friendly than

:54:07.:54:10.

others. He has a famously spiky relationship with some MPs. That is

:54:11.:54:18.

his style. And he entered the chamber of the House of Commons, the

:54:19.:54:27.

maze will be rested on the dispatch boxes, near the dispatch box as by

:54:28.:54:30.

the Serjeant at Arms, and then they will have a breast session, so we

:54:31.:54:35.

will not be allowed to film that. The next thing we will see later on

:54:36.:54:42.

is Black Rod knocking on the door of the Commons, asking to gain entry.

:54:43.:54:47.

John McDonnell, Labour's Shadow Chancellor.

:54:48.:54:52.

So as we were saying, just discussing in the studio, Joanna was

:54:53.:54:58.

finishing a point she was making about the Bill of Rights. I use

:54:59.:55:02.

saying, if something were presented along those lines, what would be the

:55:03.:55:10.

SNP view? -- are you saying. The SNP is wholly opposed to withdrawing

:55:11.:55:13.

from the European Convention on Human Rights, and there is a

:55:14.:55:17.

Scottish angle to this, because it is written into the Scotland Act,

:55:18.:55:23.

they are a devolved matter, so the British and cannot repeal the Human

:55:24.:55:25.

Rights Act and appeal and with a Bill of Rights or withdraw from the

:55:26.:55:29.

convention without the consent of the Scottish Parliament. Nicola

:55:30.:55:34.

Sturgeon has made it clear that would not be forthcoming. There is a

:55:35.:55:37.

cross-party consensus in the Scottish Government, which I believe

:55:38.:55:41.

include some Conservative MSPs, that they do not want Britain to withdraw

:55:42.:55:45.

from the convention, so the Government are going to have a

:55:46.:55:49.

massive fight on their hands across British society, and a Scottish

:55:50.:55:52.

Parliament that will big its heels in and say no, you cannot repeal the

:55:53.:55:57.

Human Rights Act or withdraw from the convention. If the Government

:55:58.:56:01.

are intent on pressing forward, there will be a major constitutional

:56:02.:56:06.

crisis. We should not forget, Huw, that human rights and up in the Good

:56:07.:56:09.

Friday agreement, so it is not just a matter of what Scotland will say,

:56:10.:56:13.

it is a fundamental part of the peace process in Northern Ireland,

:56:14.:56:17.

and it is grossly irresponsible to tamper with such matters. Back to

:56:18.:56:22.

the Royal Gallery, we were about to be in the position where the state

:56:23.:56:27.

trumpeters will be sounding the fanfare. I think we should stay here

:56:28.:56:30.

now, because once that signal is given by the Duke of Norfolk, the

:56:31.:56:34.

Earl Marshal, on the right-hand side, he is the one who will give

:56:35.:56:37.

the signal for the fanfare to be played. Just why we are on these

:56:38.:56:44.

images, it is worth, Laura, a word on what we expect elsewhere in this

:56:45.:56:48.

speech at this point. We have discussed quite a bit about the Bill

:56:49.:56:52.

of Rights and the EU referendum, what else will stand out? The

:56:53.:56:56.

standout is the fact that the Bill of Rights will not be there, we

:56:57.:57:00.

expect another promise of a consultation, but we will see a

:57:01.:57:04.

variety of bills, perhaps not a grand sweeping programme that really

:57:05.:57:07.

stitches together, but a variety of bills that David Cameron will used

:57:08.:57:11.

to try to push forward what he is ease as the second part of his

:57:12.:57:15.

mission in government, if you like. -- what he sees. If you think

:57:16.:57:19.

2010-15 was about sorting out the economy after the crash, he sees his

:57:20.:57:27.

second term as putting forward social reform, so we will see bills

:57:28.:57:31.

about speeding up adoption, tackling extremism, suggestions about how you

:57:32.:57:35.

try to help communities where young people are vulnerable to

:57:36.:57:39.

radicalisation. We will see bills, for example, an academy schools. We

:57:40.:57:43.

have already had a U-turn on the original intention to cause all

:57:44.:57:47.

schools in England to become academies, but there will be an

:57:48.:57:51.

education bill that gives power to the Department for Education. What

:57:52.:57:54.

we will hear from David Cameron, when he eventually gets his turn in

:57:55.:57:58.

the programme of events, will be him trying to stitch together a

:57:59.:58:05.

narrative that says, look, I still have things that I have to say and

:58:06.:58:08.

what to do with my time in office. The procession is about to get under

:58:09.:58:11.

way. FANFARE

:58:12.:58:40.

The 63rd occasion that the Queen has attended this State Opening of

:58:41.:58:46.

Parliament. The Queen who celebrated her 90th birthday on 21st April and

:58:47.:58:51.

of course, her official birthday will be celebrated in June.

:58:52.:59:00.

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall who first attended the

:59:01.:59:05.

State Opening of Parliament together in 2013.

:59:06.:59:13.

We have the Lord President, Chris Grayling and the Lord Speaker

:59:14.:59:18.

Baroness D'Souza and Michael Gove, Lord Chancellor with the purse that

:59:19.:59:24.

contains the speech and the Marquess of Cholmondeley and the Duke of

:59:25.:59:35.

Norfolk and Baroness Stowell. The paiges doing their work

:59:36.:59:57.

carefully. The Queen passing the great statue

:59:58.:00:01.

of her great, great-grandmother, Queen Victoria. It dominates that

:00:02.:00:08.

room and into the chamber of the House of Lords. What a splendid

:00:09.:00:15.

sight and the chamber completed in 1847 and opened by Queen Victoria in

:00:16.:00:19.

that year. The chairs of state there, having been put in for The

:00:20.:00:23.

Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall and the pair of thrones,

:00:24.:00:28.

one slightly elevated for Her Majesty the Queen. The Queen will

:00:29.:00:31.

invite the peers to be seated. The signal, the subtle signal has

:00:32.:01:07.

been given by Her Majesty and received by Lieutenant General David

:01:08.:01:12.

Leakey and Black Rod who now makes his way from the Central Lobby of

:01:13.:01:16.

the Houses of Parliament along that corridor to the members lobby of the

:01:17.:01:22.

House of Commons, a rather more austere design at the other end of

:01:23.:01:26.

the Palace of Westminster. Black Rod's presence being signalled and

:01:27.:01:33.

announced and a wry smile because he knows what is coming up! The door

:01:34.:01:37.

will be slammed. A statement of the independence of the House of

:01:38.:01:41.

Commons. He is the monarch's representative. Close the doors.

:01:42.:01:55.

Black Rod open the doors. Black Rod... It is Black Rod's birthday

:01:56.:02:04.

today, I'm wondering what kind of greeting he will get from Denis

:02:05.:02:08.

Skinner and others in the House of Commons.

:02:09.:02:20.

Mr Speaker, the Queen commands this honourable House to attend Her

:02:21.:02:31.

Majesty immediately in the House of Peers. Hands off the BBC!

:02:32.:02:49.

So there you have Denis Skinner's contribution to the day's events. I

:02:50.:02:54.

probably shouldn't say anything, should I?

:02:55.:03:00.

But there you have Black Rod and the Speaker along with Jeremy Corbyn,

:03:01.:03:07.

his first event, State Opening of Parliament as leader of Her

:03:08.:03:11.

Majesty's loyal opposition. David Cameron, the Prime Minister, having

:03:12.:03:17.

been summoned to the House of Lords to hear the Queen's Speech. Laura,

:03:18.:03:24.

at this point the body long is always rather interesting? Indeed,

:03:25.:03:27.

and trying to guess or lip read the discussions that are actually being

:03:28.:03:30.

had. Jeremy Corbyn and David Cameron face each other week after week

:03:31.:03:34.

across the dispatch box at Prime Minister's Questions, but this is

:03:35.:03:38.

one of the few occasions where we see them, look, shoulder-to-shoulder

:03:39.:03:41.

there, it looks like David Cameron is trying to make polite

:03:42.:03:43.

conversation and Jeremy Corbyn is looking the other way!

:03:44.:03:49.

LAUGHTER There is an attempt at conversation,

:03:50.:03:53.

but I suppose these moments are awkward, of course, for politicians

:03:54.:03:57.

who are rivals and opponents. They end up talking about the weather or

:03:58.:04:02.

just how glorious the House of Lords chamber is going to look! We watch

:04:03.:04:07.

them filing through to hear the speech which will, of course, be

:04:08.:04:10.

delivered in the spender of the Lords. One of the things we might

:04:11.:04:14.

hear are suggestions about reforming the House of Lords. Of course. The

:04:15.:04:18.

Government have rather unimpressed as how the Lords have been under

:04:19.:04:23.

active since the election last year, inside the House of Lords, the make

:04:24.:04:25.

up the political parties is very, very different. You have Labour, if

:04:26.:04:28.

they act with the Liberal Democrats, with a majority and they've been

:04:29.:04:32.

able to force particularly a big U-turn on tax credits. So the

:04:33.:04:36.

Government have sort of tried to retaliate by talking about scraping

:04:37.:04:39.

away some of the Lords powers and that might be what we see a Bill on

:04:40.:04:45.

today, but I think there is not much appetite actually for a significant

:04:46.:04:48.

reforms, but it is well worth looking out for as we watch them

:04:49.:04:52.

file through. Into the chamber of the House of Lords led by Black Rod

:04:53.:04:56.

and the Serjeant at Arms and the Speaker and the speak err's chaplain

:04:57.:05:04.

and the Prime Minister and Mr Corbyn arrive and Philip hammedon, John

:05:05.:05:08.

McDonnell, the Shadow Chancellor, and Angus Robertson of the Scottish

:05:09.:05:13.

National Party. They are ready for the events to get underway. Michael

:05:14.:05:21.

Gove's moment in the spotlight, he will be required to deliver the

:05:22.:05:31.

speech faultlessly to the Queen once the Earl Marshal is happy and she

:05:32.:05:33.

seems to be now. The lord Chancellor safely delivered

:05:34.:05:57.

the speech. The Queen prepares to deliver the Queen's Speech 2016.

:05:58.:06:11.

My Lords and members of the House of Commons. My Government will use the

:06:12.:06:16.

opportunity of a strengthening economy to deliver security for

:06:17.:06:20.

working people, to increase life chances for the most disadvantaged,

:06:21.:06:26.

and to strengthen national defences. My ministers will continue to bring

:06:27.:06:31.

the public finances under control so that Britain lives within its means

:06:32.:06:37.

and to move to a higher wage and lower welfare economy where work is

:06:38.:06:43.

rewarded. To support the economic recovery and to create jobs and more

:06:44.:06:49.

apprenticeships, legislation will be introduced to ensure Britain has the

:06:50.:06:53.

infrastructure that businesses need to grow. Measures will be brought

:06:54.:07:01.

forward to create the right for every household to access high-speed

:07:02.:07:07.

broadband. Legislation will be introduced to improve Britain's

:07:08.:07:10.

competitiveness and make the United Kingdom a world leader in the

:07:11.:07:15.

digital economy. My ministers will ensure that the United Kingdom is at

:07:16.:07:22.

the fore front of technology for new forms of transport including

:07:23.:07:28.

autonomous and electric vehicles. To spread economic prosperity, my

:07:29.:07:32.

Government will continue to support the development of a Northern

:07:33.:07:37.

powerhouse. In England, further powers will be devolved to directly

:07:38.:07:44.

elected mayors. Including powers governing local bus services.

:07:45.:07:50.

Legislation will also allow local authorities to retain business

:07:51.:07:54.

rates, giving them more freedom to invest in local communities. My

:07:55.:08:01.

Government will support aspiration and promote home ownership through

:08:02.:08:05.

its commitment to build one million new homes. Following last week's

:08:06.:08:13.

anticorruption summit in London, legislation will be introduced to

:08:14.:08:18.

tackle corruption, money laundering, and tax evasion. My Government will

:08:19.:08:25.

continue work to deliver NHS services over seven days of the week

:08:26.:08:30.

in England. Legislation will be introduced to ensure that overseas

:08:31.:08:35.

visitors pay for the health treatment they receive at public

:08:36.:08:41.

expense. New legislation will be introduced to tackle some of the

:08:42.:08:45.

deepest social problems in society and improve life chances. A Bill

:08:46.:08:52.

will be introduced to ensure that children can be adopted by new

:08:53.:08:57.

families without delay. Improve the standard of social work and

:08:58.:09:01.

opportunities for young people in care in England. To tackle poverty

:09:02.:09:10.

and the causes of deprivation including family instability,

:09:11.:09:14.

addiction, and debt, my Government will introduce new indicators for

:09:15.:09:20.

measuring life chances. Legislation will be introduced to establish a

:09:21.:09:26.

soft drinks industry levy to help tackle childhood obesity. Measures

:09:27.:09:33.

will be introduced to help the lowest income families save through

:09:34.:09:39.

a new help to save scheme and to create a lifetime ISA to help young

:09:40.:09:46.

people save for the long-term. My Government will continue to reform

:09:47.:09:51.

public services so they help the hardest to reach. A Bill will be

:09:52.:09:58.

brought forward to lay foundations for educational excellence in all

:09:59.:10:02.

schools, giving every child the best start in life. There will also be a

:10:03.:10:08.

fairer balance between schools through the national funding

:10:09.:10:14.

formula. To ensure that more people have the opportunity to further

:10:15.:10:19.

their education, legislation will be introduced to support the

:10:20.:10:24.

establishment of new universities and to promote choice and

:10:25.:10:28.

competition across the higher education sector. My Government will

:10:29.:10:36.

legislate to reform prisons and courts. To give individuals a second

:10:37.:10:44.

chance. Prison governors will be given unprecedented freedom and they

:10:45.:10:49.

will be able to ensure prisoners receive better education. Old and

:10:50.:10:56.

inefficient prisons will be closed and new institutions built where

:10:57.:10:58.

prisoners can be put more effectively to work. Action will

:10:59.:11:05.

also be taken to ensure better mental health provision for

:11:06.:11:08.

individuals in the Criminal Justice System. My Government will continue

:11:09.:11:16.

to work to bring communities together and strengthen society.

:11:17.:11:23.

Legislation will be introduced to prevent radicalisation, tackle

:11:24.:11:27.

extremism in all its forms, and promote community integration.

:11:28.:11:33.

National citizens service will be placed on a perm nat statutory

:11:34.:11:38.

footing -- permanent statutory footing. My Government will continue

:11:39.:11:44.

to safeguard national security. My ministers will invest in Britain's

:11:45.:11:50.

armed forces, honouring the military covenant and meeting the Nato

:11:51.:11:55.

commitment to spend 2% of national income on defence. They will also

:11:56.:12:02.

act to secure the long-term future of Britain's nuclear deterrent. My

:12:03.:12:07.

Government will continue to play a leading role in world affairs using

:12:08.:12:14.

its global presence to tackle climate change and address major

:12:15.:12:22.

international security, economic and humanitarian challenges. My

:12:23.:12:26.

Government will continue to work to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. It

:12:27.:12:32.

will play a leading role in the campaign against Daesh and to

:12:33.:12:37.

support international efforts to bring peace to Syria through a

:12:38.:12:43.

lasting political settlement. Britain's commitment on

:12:44.:12:47.

international development spending will also be honoured, helping to

:12:48.:12:53.

deliver global stability, support the sustainable development goals,

:12:54.:12:56.

and prevent new threats to national security. Prince Philip and I look

:12:57.:13:06.

forward to welcoming His Excellency the President of Columbia on a State

:13:07.:13:12.

visit in November. My Government will continue with legislation to

:13:13.:13:17.

modernise the law governing the use and oversight of investigatory

:13:18.:13:24.

powers by law enforcement, security and intelligence agencies.

:13:25.:13:29.

Legislation will strengthen the capability and accountability of the

:13:30.:13:35.

police service in England and Wales. My Government will hold a referendum

:13:36.:13:41.

on membership of the European Union. Proposals will be brought forward

:13:42.:13:49.

for a British Bill of Rights. My ministers will uphold the

:13:50.:13:52.

sovereignty of Parliament and the primacy of the House of Commons. My

:13:53.:14:00.

Government will continue to work in co-operation with the devolved

:14:01.:14:04.

administrations, to implement the extensive new powers in the Scotland

:14:05.:14:10.

Act and establish a strong and lasting devolution settlement in

:14:11.:14:16.

Wales. My Government will work in Northern Ireland to secure further

:14:17.:14:21.

progress in implementing the Stormont House and fresh start

:14:22.:14:22.

agreements. Members of the House of Commons,

:14:23.:14:33.

estimates for the public services will be laid before you. My Lords

:14:34.:14:38.

and Members of the House of Commons, other measures will be laid before

:14:39.:14:42.

you. I pray that the blessing of Almighty God may rest upon your

:14:43.:14:46.

counsels. So the speech has been delivered,

:14:47.:15:10.

Michael Gove retrieves it, put it back in the purse, and the pages

:15:11.:15:11.

returned to do their work. The Queen and Duke I acknowledge the

:15:12.:15:43.

house of beers, the members of the judiciary, members of the Church,

:15:44.:15:47.

senior Church leaders. -- the house of Peers. And members of the House

:15:48.:15:57.

of Lords, some 790 of them, one of the biggest Parliamentary chambers

:15:58.:16:00.

in the world now, 790 at the last count. Lord Walker, Baroness

:16:01.:16:08.

Stowell. They returned through the Prince's Chamber back into the vast

:16:09.:16:20.

space of the Royal Gallery. This is where so many great events have

:16:21.:16:24.

taken place over the years, including addresses to both Houses

:16:25.:16:27.

of Parliament. President Clinton, Nelson Mandela, president Sarkozy,

:16:28.:16:36.

the list goes on. They often take place in the Royal Gallery,

:16:37.:16:42.

sometimes in Westminster Hall. Baroness D'Souza there, the Lord

:16:43.:16:48.

Speaker, but frame on the left. There will be an election soon to

:16:49.:16:53.

choose her successor as Lord Speaker. The first, Baroness

:16:54.:16:58.

Heymann, was a Labour nominee, Baroness D'Souza is a crossbencher,

:16:59.:17:02.

so we expect a Conservative bigot to be elected this time. The Queen and

:17:03.:17:06.

the attempt to make their way back to the Robing Room before their

:17:07.:17:11.

short journey back to Buckingham Palace. -- the Queen and the Duke.

:17:12.:17:20.

The Queen, who delivered the speech which contained references to, we

:17:21.:17:27.

think, around 21 bills. There are some qualifications there, because

:17:28.:17:29.

some of them are references to things we have heard before, and

:17:30.:17:35.

some of them are draft concepts, but we think 21 solid legislative

:17:36.:17:38.

proposals. And we can discuss those in a moment with my guests in the

:17:39.:17:40.

studio. Back into the Robing Room, where

:17:41.:17:50.

just a few months ago I was privileged to be in there to listen

:17:51.:17:55.

to form a President Carter give a speech on his health initiatives

:17:56.:18:03.

around the world. And here we are at the other end, the Speaker leading

:18:04.:18:07.

his flock back to the House of Commons, because of course this is

:18:08.:18:12.

the start of several days of debate on the content of the Queen's

:18:13.:18:15.

Speech, that Parliamentary tradition. And, traditionally, when

:18:16.:18:23.

the Government defends its plans for the head, and of course the

:18:24.:18:28.

opposition parties can set out their alternatives too. That plans for the

:18:29.:18:34.

year ahead. Boris Johnson making his way back to the Commons, the former

:18:35.:18:40.

Mayor of London. Mr Corbyn, rejoining colleagues on the front

:18:41.:18:44.

bench, the opposition front bench on the left. A couple of friendly

:18:45.:18:51.

exchanges between Tom Watson and the Prime Minister. At least they seem

:18:52.:18:57.

to be friendly! The new Welsh Secretary, Diane Abbott, Boris

:18:58.:19:01.

Johnson as they come back into the lobby, Patrick McLoughlin, Transport

:19:02.:19:06.

Secretary, Sajid Javid, Business Secretary, all coming back now. You

:19:07.:19:10.

do wonder how much they were able to see in the Lords, it is a very

:19:11.:19:15.

restricted space. I am getting lots of knots here in the studio just to

:19:16.:19:20.

say that, yeah, even as a Cabinet minister, you do not see a lot. You

:19:21.:19:27.

don't see very much at all, no. Much better viewing point here, Huw! That

:19:28.:19:31.

is good, I hope you come again! There we have Justine Greening, the

:19:32.:19:40.

international dive -- International Development Secretary. A former

:19:41.:19:43.

colleague of hours, now a Scottish National Party MP there. And quite a

:19:44.:19:50.

few of these members elected last year, so they will be relative

:19:51.:19:56.

novices to the work of the State Opening of Parliament. We caught

:19:57.:20:01.

sight of Hilary Benn earlier. Quite a crowd in the lobby of the House of

:20:02.:20:06.

Lords, there cannot have been any in the chamber itself, no more than 20

:20:07.:20:15.

or 30 there. Angus Robertson of the SNP. And that this point, Laura, I

:20:16.:20:20.

suppose, lots of them reflecting on what the next few weeks are going to

:20:21.:20:26.

bring. Indeed, partly because they may not have heard only things that

:20:27.:20:29.

the Queen listed that the Government will be trying to do, but this is a

:20:30.:20:33.

moment where MPs and some journalists are bringing up the

:20:34.:20:36.

rear, may be reflecting on the curious time that we are in in

:20:37.:20:41.

politics at the moment. While the Queen was speaking, we saw a shot of

:20:42.:20:44.

Boris Johnson peeping over the top of a rather squashed proud, and he,

:20:45.:20:50.

of course, one of the most prominent voices in terms of the out campaign,

:20:51.:20:55.

who is beagle believe was scathingly attacked by Lord Heseltine

:20:56.:21:00.

yesterday, a very ardent supporter of the European Union. -- who some

:21:01.:21:06.

people believe. But we are in very strange waters at the moment, it is

:21:07.:21:10.

unusual that the Queen's Speech feels almost like a sideshow. What a

:21:11.:21:15.

show it is, of course, with all the pomp and ceremony, but a sideshow to

:21:16.:21:19.

the main political debate, no question about that. Two very

:21:20.:21:25.

important areas of reform, there will be lots of view is

:21:26.:21:28.

understandably with a great interest in education reform, what is

:21:29.:21:31.

happening to the academies reform, there seems to be backtracking, and

:21:32.:21:36.

the parallel reform on prisons. So to allow some prisons more freedom,

:21:37.:21:41.

if you like, for governors. In a similar pattern to the academies,

:21:42.:21:46.

the thinking behind that is that you are convinced by the argument for

:21:47.:21:50.

that? What is it meant to achieve? Well, at the moment, we have a

:21:51.:21:54.

situation where almost 50% of prisoners reoffend within one year.

:21:55.:21:59.

I do not think that is acceptable in the 21st century, we need to help

:22:00.:22:03.

people, educate them better in prison. Half of all prisoners do not

:22:04.:22:07.

have any formal qualifications, so this is about giving people a second

:22:08.:22:12.

chance, giving governors the powers over rehabilitation, over education,

:22:13.:22:16.

setting them on the outcomes they achieve, giving them more control of

:22:17.:22:22.

what goes on in their prisons. You mentioned education, I think it is

:22:23.:22:26.

important to say that there was also a very important higher education

:22:27.:22:30.

bill, it will be the biggest reform of universities we have seen for

:22:31.:22:34.

many years, and enabling new universities to open. It is

:22:35.:22:39.

important we get more people the opportunity to go to university, it

:22:40.:22:42.

is an important part of our life chances and gender. In the last

:22:43.:22:49.

session, we put through legislation on apprenticeships. -- life chances

:22:50.:22:52.

and gender. This is about making sure there are more good places

:22:53.:22:57.

available at university, that we see improvement in the quality of

:22:58.:23:00.

teaching at university, that will be very important. Quite a contrast

:23:01.:23:05.

with the arrangement in Scotland. Well, indeed, and I was just

:23:06.:23:09.

thinking there, there is not much point in building and creating more

:23:10.:23:12.

universities if people cannot afford to go, and of course in England

:23:13.:23:17.

people are charged up to ?9,000 per annum in tuition fees. We do not

:23:18.:23:22.

have tuition fees. We're just going to pause, sorry, I will come back to

:23:23.:23:26.

you, but this is the moment when the Queen is banking some of those who

:23:27.:23:30.

have taken part, the head of the Armed Forces. -- thanking. They

:23:31.:23:37.

include today the chief RBS staff, the second Sea Lord, the Chief of

:23:38.:23:42.

the General Staff. -- the Chief of the Air Staff. They are all there

:23:43.:23:53.

being thanked, and thanking the Queen for today's events. Lots of

:23:54.:23:57.

broad smiles, I would love to listen to that exchange between the Duke of

:23:58.:24:02.

Edinburgh and Michael Gove! That seemed to yield a few smiles on each

:24:03.:24:08.

side. And Baroness Stowell, the Leader of the House of Lords, just

:24:09.:24:13.

adding there, then Chris Grayling, the Lord President, the Leader of

:24:14.:24:18.

the House of Lords, a former Lord Chancellor. He has been in the role

:24:19.:24:21.

before that and Michael Gove is in today. We can just see Baroness

:24:22.:24:26.

D'Souza, to the left of Chris Grayling, in the last occasion that

:24:27.:24:30.

she will take part in this State Opening as lords Speaker. Hopefully,

:24:31.:24:36.

that has been Rabada Don too. So this is the scene in the Norman

:24:37.:24:43.

Porch. -- hopefully that has been remarked on too. Just outside the

:24:44.:24:47.

Robing Room, Michael Gove acknowledging Her Majesty's thanks,

:24:48.:24:53.

then a fair bet that the Queen will leave the palace in the way that she

:24:54.:24:56.

came, not using the staircase but easier means, as Buckingham Palace

:24:57.:25:01.

said to us earlier, for her own comfort and convenience. Quite

:25:02.:25:10.

chatty today, having a little conversation about events. The Duke

:25:11.:25:17.

and the Queen joining the conversation with some of the main

:25:18.:25:20.

parties, the Marquess of Cholmondeley gently trying to

:25:21.:25:25.

encourage them back towards the entrance to that little lift on the

:25:26.:25:27.

left-hand side. So just a moment to chat and maybe

:25:28.:25:54.

reflect on the events, then, of the day now that the the Queen and the

:25:55.:25:59.

Duke have left, I think the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall

:26:00.:26:01.

are still in the Robing Room. This is the scene at the base of the

:26:02.:26:08.

Victoria Tower, with the heralds waiting for the Queen's departure.

:26:09.:26:13.

The carriage, of course, is normally parked, it comes to a rest right

:26:14.:26:20.

here, where we have the grey horses today, but it has just stopped ten

:26:21.:26:24.

or 20 yards inside the palace itself. But if you look outside, I

:26:25.:26:29.

am going to share a very badly kept secret, which is that it is very wet

:26:30.:26:34.

here at Westminster, it is raining very heavily! And the glistening

:26:35.:26:37.

streets around the Palace of Westminster will tell you that. But

:26:38.:26:42.

even in the rain, the Palace of Westminster is such a magnificent

:26:43.:26:45.

building, isn't it? It is a royal palace, don't forget, still very

:26:46.:26:50.

much a royal palace, but it is also the meeting place of two Houses of

:26:51.:26:54.

Parliament, so it combines some important functions. And there we

:26:55.:27:01.

have a good perspective all the way from College Green at the bottom of

:27:02.:27:04.

the frame there, past the Sovereign's Escort, the Life Guards,

:27:05.:27:11.

the Blues and Royals, waiting for the Queen's departure, past St

:27:12.:27:14.

Stephens, the main entrance to the Commons, all the way up Whitehall

:27:15.:27:20.

and back to the palace via Horse Guards Parade.

:27:21.:27:22.

FANFARE The Guard of Honour at House of

:27:23.:28:45.

Lords provided by the 1st Battalion Irish Guards with the Queen's colour

:28:46.:28:49.

and the band of the regiment and pipes of the battalion led by major

:28:50.:28:56.

Bruce Millar, we have The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall

:28:57.:29:00.

ready to leave by the traditional route, using the Royal Staircase

:29:01.:29:06.

with the dismowned detachment of the Household Cavalry. Lots of them on

:29:07.:29:12.

their first big ceremonial duty. The youngest of them is 17. Still there

:29:13.:29:21.

providing that Guard of Honour on the staircase. Prince of Wales in

:29:22.:29:35.

full naval dress uniform as admiral of the fleet.

:29:36.:30:03.

And back into the Irish State coach which the Prince of Wales and the

:30:04.:30:11.

Duchess of Cornwall are using today. The coach originally built in 1851

:30:12.:30:18.

for the Lord Mayor of Dublin. Queen Victoria visited there and fancied

:30:19.:30:24.

it and bought it. It was rebuilt in 1988 and 1989 and driven from the

:30:25.:30:26.

box seat using two horses today. Big Ben sounding midday as The

:30:27.:30:45.

Prince of Wales leaves the Palace of Westminster. And the Life Guards

:30:46.:30:56.

travelling escort accompanying The Prince of Wales and the duchess back

:30:57.:30:58.

to Buckingham Palace. We are back in the Royal Gallery

:30:59.:31:34.

because we are completing now the formal part, the end of this State

:31:35.:31:38.

Opening because the imperial state Crown is now being carefully taken

:31:39.:31:45.

back from the Royal Gallery. This great symbol of the sovereign's

:31:46.:31:50.

authority being taken back to the Regalia Room, ready for the journey

:31:51.:31:54.

back to the Palace. Rney back to the Palace. The Crown

:31:55.:32:24.

Jeweller, as always, in attendance. Black Rod is there ready to make

:32:25.:32:31.

sure that everything is in order for Andrew Ford and his colleagues to

:32:32.:32:39.

take the Crown away from the Palace. This Crown, which is seen at the

:32:40.:32:44.

State Opening and at coronations only. To it's rarely seen. It is

:32:45.:32:53.

used at the State Opening of Parliament and at coronations and

:32:54.:33:00.

when it is worn after the monarch has been crowned.

:33:01.:33:07.

It is always worth remembering when we see this Crown that we often get

:33:08.:33:13.

questions from viewers. It is set with 3,000 precious stones. It is

:33:14.:33:19.

quite literally priceless. And as I said, it was made in 1937, this one

:33:20.:33:25.

for George VI. It is a replica of the Crown made for Queen Victoria in

:33:26.:33:30.

1838. The stones were transferred to the Crown made for George VI. And it

:33:31.:33:40.

was remodelled for Queen Elizabeth II for her coronation. Andrew Ford

:33:41.:33:52.

takes his place in the Queen Alexandra State Coach which is the

:33:53.:33:58.

coach used for the regalia and its escort. The Crown Jeweller now hands

:33:59.:34:08.

the Imperial State Crown to Andrew Ford and his colleagues inside the

:34:09.:34:12.

coach. This is a much more modest coach. We were talking about the

:34:13.:34:17.

Irish State Coach earlier. This is a coach built in 1865 for the Princess

:34:18.:34:23.

of Wales, later Queen Alexandra. It is much more modest in appearance

:34:24.:34:28.

than some of the others we have seen, including the Diamond Jubilee

:34:29.:34:31.

State Coach that we saw the Queen and the Duke using earlier. So

:34:32.:34:40.

Andrew Ford, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Vernon looking after the Cap

:34:41.:34:46.

of Maintenance. All safely tucked inside and ready to leave the

:34:47.:34:51.

Sovereign's Escort at the end of this State Opening.

:34:52.:35:11.

And out on to the wet streets of Westminster. The weather, I think,

:35:12.:35:21.

accounting for the fact that there are far fewer people crowding around

:35:22.:35:25.

the palace to look at the sights, but there are quite a few people on

:35:26.:35:29.

Parliament Square and Whitehall who have turned out to see what is all a

:35:30.:35:35.

great spectacle on State Opening Day. And the Queen's coachmen and

:35:36.:35:42.

the staff at the Royal Mews, having done their work very well, as they

:35:43.:35:48.

always do, because these carriages and coaches aren't gLeusing, they

:35:49.:35:51.

are in superb condition. We have a very good view of the Crown and the

:35:52.:35:55.

Cap of Maintenance and the Sword of State on their way back. Let's come

:35:56.:36:05.

back into the studio. We have got a rather good view of the things that

:36:06.:36:08.

are going on, but we've, I think, the rain is just about holding off

:36:09.:36:11.

for the moment. A quick thought from each of you at this point because

:36:12.:36:15.

we're battling against the clock and I want to join Vicki again in the

:36:16.:36:19.

Central Lobby. A quick thought on what you think will be dominating

:36:20.:36:23.

people's timetables now? What David Cameron wants this appear, as his

:36:24.:36:28.

big moment where he is pushing forward the life chances agenda. He

:36:29.:36:32.

made a series of speeches in the last year or so and these are the

:36:33.:36:35.

promised laws coming forward to as he sees it, to try to help people

:36:36.:36:40.

who politics have forgotten for a long time. What he doesn't want

:36:41.:36:42.

people to talk about is the fact there is a promise of a British Bill

:36:43.:36:46.

of Rights, hardly any mention of the Sovereignty Bill that was promised.

:36:47.:36:49.

Something very, very weak in terms of that speech. Most people are

:36:50.:36:53.

still after today going to be focussing on the referendum. Well,

:36:54.:36:58.

the referendum is clearly an extremely important issue. We are in

:36:59.:37:00.

the final months of the campaign, but after that, you know, we have a

:37:01.:37:05.

massive agenda to deliver. There are some very important Bills here

:37:06.:37:08.

today. I think the Higher Education Bill is extremely important. It is

:37:09.:37:12.

the first one of that magnitude for 20 years. It will have a major

:37:13.:37:16.

impact getting more young people to university, improving the quality of

:37:17.:37:19.

teaching in university and the prison Reform Bill is very

:37:20.:37:23.

important. You know, we don't have a good enough record in terms of when

:37:24.:37:28.

prisoners leave prison, getting them back into society and getting them

:37:29.:37:32.

back on track. The life chances agenda is incredibly important

:37:33.:37:35.

because we want to help people get on at every stage in their lives?

:37:36.:37:40.

Lucy? Well, most people in my part of the world in Manchester would

:37:41.:37:42.

laugh in the Prime Minister's face at the thought he had a life chances

:37:43.:37:46.

strategy when everything that he has done over the last six years has

:37:47.:37:49.

made their lives harder and harder. We have seen the most deprived

:37:50.:37:53.

communities facing the biggest brunt when it comes to austerity. We have

:37:54.:37:58.

seen education now in chaos. Families being pushed into crisis by

:37:59.:38:03.

the taking away of the support from which they rely upon and you know,

:38:04.:38:07.

so I really think that you know they can talk about life chances as he

:38:08.:38:11.

does very often and he gives these big speeches, but the reality of

:38:12.:38:15.

what is happening on the ground to social work, to education, to

:38:16.:38:19.

health, to tax credits, to all these things that families we lie on are

:38:20.:38:23.

disappearing at a fast rate and the Government haven't got an answer to

:38:24.:38:26.

that. Thank you very much Joanna. A quick comment. Very under whelmed by

:38:27.:38:32.

this, Huw, it is a rag bag of proposal that Michael Gove brought

:38:33.:38:35.

out of the purse to give to Her Majesty. Much is recycled from last

:38:36.:38:38.

year. They are talking about strengthening the economy and

:38:39.:38:40.

bringing public finances uncontrol, but the fact remains they have

:38:41.:38:44.

missed many of their own targets and they are failing on key economic

:38:45.:38:48.

indicators. Among the opulence and splendour, there are many people

:38:49.:38:53.

across British society who are struggling to make ends meet. I

:38:54.:38:56.

don't hear anything in the Queen's Speech. Help for low income

:38:57.:38:59.

families. Many low income families have no hope of saving. They

:39:00.:39:03.

struggle to get by on a day-to-day basis. The sort of thing we in the

:39:04.:39:07.

SNP would like to see is real help for low income families, restoring

:39:08.:39:11.

work allowances and giving them proper support, the sort of things

:39:12.:39:14.

that should be in a Queen's Speech like this, but are just missing

:39:15.:39:17.

because the Government's eye is completely off the ball. Thank you

:39:18.:39:21.

very much. I would like to get more reaction, let's rejoin Vicki in the

:39:22.:39:24.

Central Lobby. Yes, the ceremonial side of things is over. The

:39:25.:39:28.

politicians take centre stage again. Let's hear what they made of

:39:29.:39:31.

everything that we've heard today. I'm joined by Alistair Carmichael

:39:32.:39:36.

from the Liberal Democrats and Jeffrey Donaldson from the unionist

:39:37.:39:45.

party? The tre markable thing about the Queen's Speech is just how

:39:46.:39:52.

little is new here. We reckon 28 of the 30 measures announced today have

:39:53.:39:56.

been announced before. They are only two new announcements today. A year

:39:57.:39:59.

ago, the Government were elected telling us they would focus on the

:40:00.:40:03.

economy, now it is pretty clear they have turned inwards the focus of

:40:04.:40:06.

everything is on managing the Conservative Party as they risk

:40:07.:40:10.

tearing themselves apart ahead of the EU referendum. That's the real

:40:11.:40:13.

message from the Queen's Speech today. They have taken their eye off

:40:14.:40:17.

the ball. Jeffrey Donaldson, do you think the EU referendum is

:40:18.:40:20.

dominating, but do you think that the Government has run out of steam,

:40:21.:40:24.

or do you see some measures that you like Well, there are some measures

:40:25.:40:28.

that we welcome and we will examine them closely and we will be looking

:40:29.:40:34.

towards the implement aches of the Stormont House agreement, they are

:40:35.:40:37.

vital in moving the peace process forward in Northern Ireland. In that

:40:38.:40:41.

sense, it is an important Queen's Speech for Northern Ireland and it

:40:42.:40:44.

will see some important legislation for the Province. The Prime Minister

:40:45.:40:49.

talked about measures to help the disadvantaged in society, is that

:40:50.:40:52.

something that appeals to Plaid Cymru? There is plenty of work to be

:40:53.:40:58.

done and there is something about measuring poverty or life chances

:40:59.:41:02.

whatever way you want to term it. That will be interesting to see how

:41:03.:41:05.

that works out. We are looking forward to a new Wales Bill. Yet

:41:06.:41:10.

another shot at getting the devolution settlement in Wales right

:41:11.:41:13.

and hopefully that can come forward fairly soon. Gentlemen, thank you

:41:14.:41:17.

very much indeed for your reaction. There will be a debate in the House

:41:18.:41:20.

of Commons starting in the next couple of hours.

:41:21.:41:23.

Vicki, thank you very much. Thanks to the guests in Central Lobby.

:41:24.:41:28.

Laura, when we see headlines on the Queen's Speech, we have discussed

:41:29.:41:32.

the context, what will people be honing in on? Prison reform

:41:33.:41:35.

particularly is something that people will look at closely, but

:41:36.:41:39.

that as this Government found continually in the last Parliament

:41:40.:41:42.

as in this one, it is one thing coming forward with the ideas of

:41:43.:41:45.

reform and ideas of grand rhetoric, but the reality is for many people,

:41:46.:41:48.

the Government departments and people around the country are having

:41:49.:41:53.

of having to manage in a time of budget cults. That was the theme of

:41:54.:41:56.

the first Parliament, but it is the case now. In terms of today,

:41:57.:42:00.

clearly, I think, the headlines will probably still be about what was not

:42:01.:42:04.

in it, no Sovereignty Bill, a vague sort of promise about a Bill of

:42:05.:42:08.

Rights and that's are the product of the wider backdrop which is the

:42:09.:42:12.

debate over the European Union. Just on that final point, just to tie

:42:13.:42:17.

this up today, we have been concentrating today really on a long

:42:18.:42:20.

list of Bills while trying to acknowledge the fact there is a big

:42:21.:42:23.

story out there, which is not part of the speech, you know, how will

:42:24.:42:27.

they balance those things, how do you juggle those things in terms of

:42:28.:42:30.

the coverage? Well, I think it is very difficult for the Government.

:42:31.:42:36.

They are trying to multitask when right at top of the Government

:42:37.:42:41.

people are preoccupied by the European referendum because their

:42:42.:42:43.

jobs depend on T the Government depends on it. There is a real risk,

:42:44.:42:47.

as we started at the beginning, if the referendum is lost by Downing

:42:48.:42:51.

Street, if they don't win, there is a chance that David Cameron might

:42:52.:42:56.

not be the Prime Minister in six or seven weeks time. The expectation is

:42:57.:43:00.

not that will happen, but that's where their focus is, because the

:43:01.:43:04.

risks are very big for them and they know it. Laura thank you and thanks

:43:05.:43:10.

to my guests. That's it for today. Coverage will continue on the BBC

:43:11.:43:13.

News Channel and on BBC Parliament and in this year of the Queen's's

:43:14.:43:19.

90th birthday, we will leave you with memorable images of the State

:43:20.:43:21.

Opening Parliament over the years of her reign. From all of the team here

:43:22.:43:24.

at Westminster, thank you for watching and goodbye.

:43:25.:44:14.

The referendum on whether we should remain within the European Union

:44:15.:44:22.

of what has happened to British national sovereignty.

:44:23.:44:26.

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