Gosport MP, Caroline Dinenage, has commended the Queen’s Speech today which has introduced 31 Bills to help the country and Gosport Constituency build back better following the outbreak of COVID-19 over a year ago.
The speech focused on the continuing priorities of the Conservatives to create equal opportunities for all and level up across the country.
This includes Bills that will enable adults of all ages to access further education through a new Lifetime Skills Guarantee and reform the student loan system so that loans are available at any point in life.
Prime Minister, Boris Johnson said:
“These new laws are the rocket fuel that we need to level up this country and ensure equal opportunities for all. We know that having the right skills and training is the route to better, well-paid jobs.
“I’m revolutionising the system so we can move past the outdated notion that there is only one route up the career ladder, and ensure that everyone has the opportunity to retrain or upskill at any point in their lives.”
In addition, further funding for the NHS will help provide local and tailored care for residents, while allowing the health and social care system innovate and embrace technology.
To revitalised town centres, planning reforms will give automatic approval to the development of shops, offices and homes in certain areas and to protect the interests of the British people, asylum reforms through the Borders Bill will work to deter dangerous and illegal channel crossings, while the Counter State Threats Bill will strengthen defences against counter state threats.
Importantly for the Gosport Constituency, the Subsidy Control Bill will work alongside legislation to create the eight freeports that were announced in the March Budget, including the Solent Freeport - which Caroline supported – to be partly be based in Portsmouth.
Focusing on other priorities, improvements to animal welfare will be underpinned by the Animal Sentience Bill and Animal Abroad Bill, as well as welfare reforms to ban fur imports.
Caroline was particularly pleased to see the introduction of the Online Safety Bill which she has been working on as Minister of State for Digital and Culture. The Bill will protect vulnerable users and children while holding tech firms to account over the material that they allow to be published and shared. This includes introducing a new ‘duty of care’ to users, ensuring platforms are responsible for removing illegal and harmful content, providing greater clarity of what this content is and introducing Ofcom as a new regulator.
Caroline commented:
“I am really pleased to see a Queen’s Speech that focuses on the priorities of residents across Gosport, Hill Head, Stubbington and Lee-on-the-Solent, including boosting educational opportunities, strengthening animal welfare, improving armed forces welfare and reforms to revitalise our High Street.
“Importantly, the Bills introduced today will pave the way for the new Freeport at Portsmouth which will generate thousands of jobs across our local area and I am particularly pleased to see the introduction of the Online Safety Bill, which I have been working hard on to crack down on online harms and make the internet a safer place for all.”
