In normal times, the government clears the decks ahead of the Queen’s Speech. It wants to ensure maximum publicity for its legislative agenda. But these are not normal times: there’s an EU referendum campaign raging.
Number 10 are being quite clear, as I write in The Sun today, that with less than six weeks to go to polling day, there won’t be a campaign ceasefire this week. ‘It is too close now’ one senior source tells me.
So, why is the Queen’s Speech taking place at all? One IN supporting Minister complains that it is ‘moronic’ to be having it now, as it means that the measures announced it are likely to get caught up in the referendum cross fire. They argue that it would have been far better to wait until after the referendum and then used the Queen’s Speech to try and bind up Tory wounds.
But there are two reasons why it is happening now. First, the government wants to show that it is still getting on with things despite the referendum. (In truth, the top of the government is almost completely distracted by it). Second, they want the domestic agenda ready for Cameron to go to straight after the referendum.
Some in Downing Street are already thinking about how to secure Cameron’s position post-referendum, and get off the Europe question. One senior Downing Street figure tells me that the hope is that the long awaited publication of the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq war and the Commons vote on renewing Britain’s nuclear deterrent will both change the subject from Europe and expose Labour’s divisions while uniting the Tories. This will pave the way for Cameron returning to his domestic agenda.
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