Queen’s Speech: Tax cuts and EU referendum expected to be announced

People working 30 hours a week on minimum wage will no longer have to pay income tax under Conservative plans to be announced in the Queen’s Speech. The Queen will set out the government’s legislative plans for the next five years at the State Opening of Parliament later today. It will be the first all-Conservative Queen’s Speech since 1996, and is also expected to feature an EU Referendum Bill that will give Britons a vote on membership to Europe by 2017.

We have a mandate from the British people, a clear manifesto and the instruction to deliver. And we will not waste a single moment in getting on with the task.

Prime Minister David Cameron

The Queen will also announce a bill to curb illegal immigration and an extension of the Right to Buy scheme. Controversial proposals to scrap the Human Rights Act and replace it with a Bill of Rights are also expected to feature in the speech, although full legislation will not be introduced until next year. The traditional address is spoken by the Queen, but written by Prime Minister David Cameron’s team. It takes place on the first day of a new parliamentary session or soon after a General Election.

Politics EU referendum