Queen's Speech — Programme for Government — 7 Jun 2010 at 21:45

The majority of MPs voted against an amendment criticising the Liberal - Conservative Coalition's programme for government.

The vote occurred while MPs were debating the programme for government; initial elements of which had been set out in summery form in The Queen's Speech.

The debate on the content of the government's legislative programme outlined Queens' speech is technically, and traditionally, on the subject of a message of thanks which the house is to send the monarch for making the speech.

A motion amending the message of thanks put forward by the acting Leader of the Opposition Labour's Harriet Harman was the subject of this division. It highlights the main points of concern the opposition has with respect to the Government's plans. The motion was rejected but had it passed it would have added the following to the end of the message of thanks:

"but, whilst

• welcoming the progress made by the previous administration to reform and improve the constitutional arrangements of the United Kingdom, respectfully believe that such changes should be made wherever possible on the basis of a strong cross-party consensus;
• therefore call for active discussions by your Government on proposals for an elected House of Lords, a referendum on the alternative vote, recall of hon. Members, the period of any fixed-term Parliament, party funding, changes to the number of hon. Members, the drawing of electoral boundaries, and individual voter registration;
• consider as wholly unacceptable and undemocratic proposals to require any special majority to remove a Government and require an early general election, or to alter the number of hon. Members or the boundary rules in an arbitrary and partisan way; strongly endorse the measures which led to an overall reduction in crime of over a third, and of violent crime of 41 per cent., since 1997;
• oppose any measures to cut the number of police officers and police community support officers, to restrict the use of the DNA database in accordance with the Crime and Security Act 2010, to extend anonymity in rape cases to defendants, or to politicise constabularies through the introduction of elected commissioners; and
• urge your Government to reconsider the introduction of a pre-determined cap on skilled immigrants and to maintain the flexibility and effectiveness of the current points-based system."

Those voting Aye were voting to support these comments on the Queen's Speech. Those voting No were supporting the programme for government which had been outlined.

The amendment was opposed by all the Government's Liberal Democrat and Conservative MPs who voted and was supported by all voting MPs from the opposition Labour Party. The DUP voted with the government, the Green and SDLP MPs voted with the opposition.

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