Theresa May risking Tory anger with plan for fresh Queen's Speech
2 min read
Theresa May has risked fresh Conservative anger over her departure plans after telling ministers to sign off on proposals for another Queen's Speech.
The Times reports that government departments have been told the Prime Minister will "actively consider" ideas for the set-piece event, which kicks off a new session of Parliament and spells out the Government's legislative programme.
The move comes despite Mrs May telling Tory MPs she will not lead the party into the next phase of Brexit talks.
According to The Times, Downing Street will consider ministers' plans for the parliamentary session when MPs return from their Easter recess on Tuesday.
But any attempt to open a new session could prompt renewed anger from Conservative MPs keen for Mrs May to spell out her departure date.
It will also require the backing of the Democratic Unionist Party, who have supported the Government as confidence-and-supply partners since 2017, but repeatedly voted against Mrs May's Brexit deal.
Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith warned: "The nature of the Queen’s Speech is that it has the character of the prime minister written through it. Without the prime minister’s authority it is just a wish list of things that probably won’t happen."
Downing Street has yet to officially announce a date for the next Queen's Speech.
But the Times cites Whitehall correspondence which tells officials to expect the legislative launchpad "in or around June 2019".
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