Response to the Queen's Speech

Following the Conservative proposals in the Queen’s Speech, Labour has responded detailing measures it would bring forward to address the big challenges facing Britain and the crisis in public services.

The Labour Party has been listening to people across the nation, on the doorstep, in regional meetings of members, and online submission for the NPF. A Queen’s Speech brought forward by Labour would respond to the concerns raised by people up and down the country. This is a legislative programme that builds on these conversations to deliver for the many, not the few.

Key policy measures include:

• Jobs: invest in an economy that puts working people first by introducing a Real Living Wage of £10 an hour by 2020 and providing equal rights at work from day one.
• NHS: halt all Tory hospital closures and invest to improve patient services. We would guarantee patients are seen in A&E within four hours and take one million people off NHS waiting lists by the end of the parliament.
• Education: establish a National Education Service, we would cut class sizes to lower than 30 for all five, six, and seven year-olds and introduce universal free school meals for all primary school children. Abolish university tuition fees and bring back the Education Maintenance Allowance and maintenance grants for students from low and middle income backgrounds.
• Housing: build at least a million new homes, including 100,000 genuinely affordable homes to buy and rent a year by the end of the parliament. We would end insecurity for private renters.
• Safer communities: hire an extra 10,000 police officers for England and Wales. We would also tackle crime and its causes and ensure better treatment of victims in the justice system.
• A fairer Britain: set up a National Investment Bank and regional development banks to help finance growth. We would bring the railways and the water industry back into public hands to put people before profit.

Labour will put amendments to the Queen’s Speech and use every avenue in parliament to win support for these policies and put them into action.