The government will...
...end the free movement of people from the European Union post-Brexit. An immigration bill will “allow for the repeal of EU law on immigration,” so as to “allow the government to control the number of people coming here from Europe.”
...review counter-terrorism strategy in light of recent terror attacks and increase police powers. A new Commission for Countering Extremism will be established “to support the government in stamping out extremist ideology in all its forms.”
...commit to spending 2 per cent of GDP on defence—the target for Nato members. Donald Trump has recently railed against those members he views as not paying their fair share....bring forward proposals to ban “unfair tenant fees,” specifically letting fees, in order to reduce upfront costs in the rental sector. The government will also look to increase housebuilding as outlined in its recent housing White Paper.
...bring forward a new bill to deliver the next phase of the HS2 rail link. This section of the line will run from Fradley to Crewe.
...increase the national living wage. This currently stands at £7.50 for the over 25s. In its manifesto, the government announced that it planned to raise the wage until it reaches 60 per cent of median earnings in 2020. The institute for fiscal studies forecasts that this would take the living wage to £8.75.
...equalise national insurance contribution rates for employers and employees at £157 a week. This is not the change Philip Hammond announced in the spring for the self-employed, dubbed a “strivers’ tax” by the press at the time.
...look to “govern for the whole of the United Kingdom”—and open new markets for key exporting industries in Northern Ireland. The government is currently hoping to secure the support of the Northern Irish Democratic Unionist party going forwards, or else it will have to govern through a minority administration.
...do, er, something on grammar schools. Despite various education measures, the controversial grammar schools system is not mentioned in the speech, with the government planning a more vague "review" of schooling.
...quietly ignore fox hunting and the so-called "Dementia Tax"—policies mentioned in the Tory manifesto that May might have struggled to get through the house.
