May set to delay Queen’s Speech amid political turmoil

The Queen’s Speech – in which the UK government sets out its legislative agenda – has been delayed for a few days, British media outlets are reporting.

The key address had been scheduled to take place on Monday 19 June, but Sky and BBC are reporting that it has now been postponed as the Conservatives are negotiating with the Democratic Unionist Party to get support for their minority government. 

Labour said the delay showed the government was “in chaos”.

“Number 10’s failure to confirm the date of the Queen’s Speech shows that this government is in chaos, as it struggles to agree a backroom deal with a party with abhorrent views on LGBT and women’s rights,” a Labour spokesperson said.

Earlier, Brexit secretary David Davis admitted that the Tories’ election campaign “went wrong” and that some of its manifesto pledges would be dropped or watered down.

“We’ll have to look at the Queen’s Speech and what we have to get through,” he told Sky News. “It has to be voted on in Parliament in a week’s time; it’s a matter of practicality.

“There may be things that we simply can’t put in. That will happen. That will be going on as we speak. We will try to carry as much of the House with us as we can.”

Davis also suggested May could have to re-think her approach to Brexit after losing seats in last week’s snap election, that she had called in an attempt to strengthen her mandate ahead of the upcoming negotiations.

“80% of the public voted for parties that reflect, respect the decision last year,” he said. “Ones that wanted to reverse it or do something different got hammered.

“We don’t want to leave the single market itself, it’s the Europeans saying you can’t lose free movements and keep it.”

He added: “The argument of the 53-48%...we’re trying to get a deal for the 100%.”

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has accused Mrs May of "squatting" in No 10, telling the BBC that the country "cannot go on with a period of great instability".