Business reacts to Queen's Speech

Prime Minister David Cameron introduced the Queen’s Speech, saying: ‘The first task of a ‘One Nation Government’ is to help all working people have security. And nothing is more crucial to that than a job.

28 May 2015

Prime Minister David Cameron introduced the Queen’s Speech, saying: ‘The first task of a ‘One Nation Government’ is to help all working people have security. And nothing is more crucial to that than a job.

‘A new Bill will help to create two million more jobs this Parliament. That means there should be a job for everyone who wants one – in other words, full employment.’

The speech received mixed reactions from the political and business world. A new Cities Devolution Bill received a lot of attention in the media, along with further mention of Chancellor George Osborne’s previously announced ‘Northern Powerhouse’ plans.

In response to confirmation of the new Trade Unions Bill, Frances O’Grady, General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), said: ‘A government that claimed to be on the side of working people now wants to tip the balance of power against them with draconian restrictions on the right to strike’.

General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, Christine Blower, said: ‘This is a Queen’s Speech which entrenches inequality’.

However, Confederation of British Industry (CBI) Deputy Director-General, Katja Hall, said: ‘This is a jam-packed Queen’s Speech, with a strong focus on stepping up a gear on the economic recovery – locking in growth, creating jobs and boosting investment right across the country’.

Speaking on the Enterprise Bill, she added: ‘Pruning unnecessary red tape from Westminster and Brussels will give firms bursting with potential – especially small and medium-sized ones – the space to grow and thrive’.

She also welcomed the Housing Bill as a clear ‘signal that the new Government will make home ownership a top priority’.

Further announcements are expected when Mr Osborne delivers his Second Budget of 2015 on July 8.