The government has announced plans for a slimmed-down Queen’s speech on Thursday 19 December, as Boris Johnson has said he would want to push through his Brexit bill as soon as possible if he wins a majority.
Preparations are being made for a curtailed process that cuts down on ceremony, in case Johnson is the new prime minister and wants to push ahead with a second reading of the withdrawal agreement bill before Christmas recess.
The election is due to happen on 12 December and the results will emerge through the early hours of Friday 13 December.
Parliament will then resume on Tuesday 16 December and then there would be the election of the new Speaker and several days of new MPs being sworn in.
A Queen’s speech would need to take place after that to allow legislation to be brought forward, with the first and second readings of the Brexit bill possibly happening that week or into the week of Christmas.
A government spokesman said: “The new parliament will be summoned to meet on Tuesday 17 December, when the business will be the election of the Speaker and the swearing-in of members. Should this prime minister return, the state opening of parliament and the Queen’s speech will follow on Thursday 19 December.
“The state opening of parliament will take place with reduced ceremonial elements, as was the case following the early general election in 2017. This is due both to the early general election and the proximity of the state opening to Christmas.
“If there is a change of government following the election it is anticipated that the Queen’s speech would be in January on a more usual timetable; but this would be a matter for the incoming administration.”
Both the Queen and the Prince of Wales are expected to attend, despite the ceremony being so close to Christmas, which they usually spend at Sandringham in Norfolk. The plans include only limited regalia and no procession of carriages but the government said it would return to the full ceremony for future Queen’s speeches.
Johnson’s last programme for government was presented by the Queen just over a month ago, even though it was clear he did not have a majority to pass any of the legislation she announced.
If Johnson fails to win a majority at this election and the result is a hung parliament, then Labour would seek to run a minority government.
Bob Kerslake, a crossbench peer who has advised Labour on preparing for government, told Sky News on Monday that Jeremy Corbyn would not seek to form a coalition but would talk to other parties to establish the possible basis for confidence-and-supply support.
“It’s clear that Labour will not form a coalition, they would seek to govern as a minority Labour government,” he said. “But to be able to do that, they would need support from the other parties in what’s called confidence and supply.
“And they would then need to have a conversation with those parties to really establish on what basis they would give that support. We don’t yet know in truth how that would that play out, although the Lib Dems have said they couldn’t support a Jeremy Corbyn-led government; the SNP have said they would want a second referendum. All of that no doubt would form part of the conversation that Labour would be having informally with those two parties.”
Nicola Sturgeon, the SNP leader and Scottish first minister, gave an interview on Monday suggesting she would not do anything to bring a Labour government down and making clear she would “never do anything to support a Conservative government in office”.
She told the BBC’s Andrew Neil: “[Corbyn] is not going to be in a position of being able just to say I am not going to do anything you want. Now I also accept that in any discussion of this nature if we are in this position after this election, it’s because no party has got an overall majority, and discussions will be required, compromise will be required on all sides.
“I get all of that and I accept that, I’m simply being candid … [about] issues that really matter to me as leader of the SNP and as first minister.”
