JAMES WELCOMES QUEEN'S SPEECH OF FREEDOM FAIRNESS AND RESPONSIBILITY

James Duddridge , Member of Parliament for Rochford and Southend East has welcomed today’s Queen’s Speech where the Coalition Government’s draft legislative programme was outlined.

The Queen’s Speech was underpinned by the principles of freedom, fairness and responsibility. 

The new Government’s draft legislative programme will focus on the following:

• To reduce the deficit and restore economic growth by reforming financial services regulation, supporting national infrastructure and building a fair and family friendly economy.
• To build a strong and fair society by reforming public services and encouraging individual and social responsibility.  Schools, teachers and parents will be given greater freedom in education, patients a stronger voice in the NHS, radical welfare reform, a cap on immigration, greater accountability of the police and local councils, measures to tackle alcohol-related violence and anti-social behaviour and support for communities and social enterprises.
• The reform of Parliament and politics to restore trust in democratic institutions and rebalancing the relationship between the citizen and the state through the creation of fixed term Parliaments, a referendum on changes to the voting system and fairer and fewer constituencies, reforms to party funding, the right to recall MPs, and proposals for a reformed House of Lords.
• Restoring freedoms and civil liberties by abolishing identity cards and repealing unnecessary laws.

Speaking today, James said:

“Today’s Queen’s Speech put the national interest at its core rather than party interest and promotes the values of freedom, fairness and responsibility. Our programme for government outlined in the speech today shows that the Coalition Government is willing to take the bold and necessary steps that Britain needs to get our country back on its feet.”