Boris Johnson has put Tory MPs on standby to rush his Brexit deal through the Commons within a week to guarantee the UK is ready to quit the EU at the end of next month.
Mr Johnson’s Withdrawal Agreement Bill, designed to ratify his exit deal with Brussels, will be published today as the flagship measure in a wide range of proposals announced in the Queen’s Speech at the ceremonial State Opening of Parliament.
It will be given a formal Commons First Reading this evening before MPs vote at the crucial Second Reading stage tomorrow.
Under the fast-track plan, the Bill is due to complete its final Commons stages between MPs returning to work on January 6 and the end of that week so it can progress to the House of Lords.
With every one of the 365 Tory MPs signed up to backing Mr Johnson deal, ministers are convinced the Bill will easily sweep through Parliament despite opposition from the depleted Labour Party.
At least six other Bills – dealing with farming, fishing, trade, financial services, immigration and the environment – will be unveiled designed to prepare the country for fully leaving EU rules and regulations after the post Brexit transition period ends in December 2020.
Another key measure will be an NHS Funding Bill drafted to pump another £33.9billion a year into the service by 2023/24.
The sum will be the largest cash injection into hospitals, GP surgeries and other health services in NHS history.
Ministers will seek to make sure the NHS Funding Bill is the first piece of domestic legislation to reach the statute book following the passing of the Withdrawal Agreement.
At least six other Bills – dealing with farming, fishing, trade, financial services, immigration and the environment – will be unveiled designed to prepare the country for fully leaving EU rules and regulations after the post Brexit transition period ends in December 2020.
Another key measure will be an NHS Funding Bill drafted to pump another £33.9billion a year into the service by 2023/24.
The sum will be the largest cash injection into hospitals, GP surgeries and other health services in NHS history.
Ministers will seek to make sure the NHS Funding Bill is the first piece of domestic legislation to reach the statute book following the passing of the Withdrawal Agreement.
A separate Bill announced today will seek to maintain NHS staffing levels by ensuring qualified doctors, nurses and health professionals with a job offer from the NHS are offered fast-track visas and support to come to the UK as part of the new points-based immigration system.
A Medicines and Medical Devices Bill is also to be unveiled that will seek to make it easier for hospitals to manufacture and test innovative new treatments.
Other legislation will set up a Health Service Safety Investigations Body to try to improve patient safety by probing concerns and incidents raised by patients and families.
Hospital car parking charges will also be abolished for those in greatest need including disabled people, parents of sick children staying overnight and staff working night shifts under other proposals to be unveiled today.
Speaking to NHS nurses at a Downing Street reception last night, the Prime Minister said: “The NHS is the single greatest institution in this country and it’s absolutely vital that we as political leaders, all kinds and all levels, understand what is going on in the NHS. You are doing an incredible job.
“But the pressures and demands are enormous and we have to help you cope with that.
“We have to invest and as you may have heard in the last few weeks, we are. We are upgrading hospitals, and building new hospitals.
“We are going to have 50,000 more nurses. We retain 19,000 who would otherwise vanish, and recruit another 31,000. We have 6,000 more GPs and 50 million more GP appointments over the next five years.
“We are now putting the biggest investment in the NHS in living memory. We have to keep that investment going. We have to keep supporting you.
“I would like to thank you for everything you do.
“We now have got Christmas, and you, the NHS, are going to have to keep working over what will be one of the busiest and most taxing times of the year for the NHS.
“This is an opportunity for us in Government to welcome you to Number 10 and to wish you a Happy Christmas.”
Other measures will introduce maintenance grants of at least £5,000 per year for new and continuing degree-level nursing, midwifery and other health students to support the promised delivery of 50,000 more nurses.
The Queen’s Speech will also confirm the Prime Minister’s promise of an extra £1billion for social care in every year of the new parliament and his commitment to work urgently to seek cross-party consensus for long-term reform of the system.
And a Mental Health Bill is also to be unveiled today to give people greater influence on the type of care they receive.
Mr Johnson’s programme today will also include key measures to improve schools and strengthen law and order.
The Queen’s Speech will commit his Government to increasing levels of funding per pupil in every school in England to ensure every child receives the best possible education wherever they grow up.
As part of a package of measures to tackle violent crime and make streets safer, another Bill will lengthen jail terms to ensure terrorists spend longer behind bars and bolster police powers to stop and search known knife carriers.
The Speech will also outline commitments to strengthening the Union, invest billions more in infrastructure across the country and ban vexatious legal claims against members of the Armed Forces.
On the eve of the Queen’s Speech, an opinion poll confirmed that the NHS remains a top concern for voters.
Three out of five (61 percent) voters believe that increasing the number of NHS staff should be the number one priority regarding health and care for the government, according to the Ipsos Mori survey.
More than a third of votes (34 percent) wanted the new Government to improve access to GP appointments.
Around three out of ten (31 percent) said ministers should prioritise improving waiting times for A&E units.
Anna Quigley, research director at Ipsos Mori, said: “The NHS was a key issue for voters in last week’s general election, and they want to see any new government investing in its future.
“It’s no surprise that the public prioritises increasing the number of staff as part of that.
“This data illustrates yet again the value that the public place on the people who work in the NHS.
“Our research shows time and time again the respect and appreciation that users of the service feel towards those that care for them, and concern about the impact on the NHS of a lack of staff, now and in the future.”
Following the 1922 Committee meeting, Tory MP Robert Halfon said the Prime Minister had given a “great speech”, adding: “He said we’ve got a lot of work to do. The voters, they’ve lent us their vote and we need to prove to the people that we can keep our pledges and promises.
“It’s in getting Brexit sorted in the next few weeks, but that we’ve got a lot of work to do – there’s not a moment to lose.
“And that you can’t rest on your laurels at all, he said, there’s no way, there’s a lot we’ve got to do for the country. We’re going to have quite a busy week when we come back from all accounts.
“And rightly so because there’s no such thing as a honeymoon in politics. I think people will give us a Christmas break but they expect us to get on with it.”
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