Today was the State Opening of Parliament, the formal start of the parliamentary year. The Queen’s Speech set out the Government’s agenda for the coming session, outlining proposed policies and legislation.
Responding to the Queen’s Speech, Munira commented:
“After a terribly difficult year of the pandemic and economic hardship, today was a real opportunity for the Government to be ambitious in tackling the challenges that people face in the aftermath of Covid. I am disappointed the Government’s plans have failed to deliver. There is still no support for the self-employed and small businesses that have been excluded from Government support, millions continue to be ignored who care for their loved ones at home and much more radical action is needed if the Government is serious about tackling the climate emergency.
“A particularly glaring omission is the lack of plans to fix social care. It’s been 22 months since the Government pledged to reform social care, yet the Queen’s Speech only mentions that proposals will be brought forward. This is not good enough. Yet again, social care is being kicked into the long grass. The Government needs to stop postponing and initiate cross-party talks as soon as possible so that millions of people around the country can receive the care they need and deserve.”