Queen outlines UK government agenda in scaled-down speech

LONDON — Queen Elizabeth II outlined the government's legislative program in a speech to Parliament on Wednesday after the prime minister slimmed down her plans and promised "humility" in negotiating Britain's exit from the European Union following a disastrous election that cost the ruling Conservative Party its majority.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth sits next to Prince Charles during the State Opening of Parliament in central London, Britain June 21, 2017.  [Photo/Agencies]

The 91-year-old monarch carried on with her royal duties at the ceremonial opening of the new Parliament despite the announcement that her husband, Prince Philip, had been hospitalized. Buckingham Palace said Philip, 96, has been hospitalized as a precaution for treatment of an infection.

His rare absence from the State Opening of Parliament added to the solemnity of an occasion cherished by the British people and replete with tradition. While the queen reads the Queen's Speech to lawmakers, it is written by the prime minister and her staff and offers a broad brush of goals for the future.

The nine-minute speech reflected May's weakened position — a loss of stature that has emboldened those within her own party who want a "softer" Brexit which makes a less-sharp break with the EU.

Eight of 27 bills outlined in the speech deal with the complex process of Brexit. May omitted several policies touted in the Conservative election campaign, including plans to change funding for the care of older people, which opponents dubbed the "dementia tax." Also missing was ending free school lunches and limiting winter fuel payments to low-income elderly.

Nor was there a mention of President Donald Trump's a state visit. May's invitation, extended with days of Trump taking office, had been sharply criticized by all parties.

May's Downing Street office said nothing had changed: an invitation had been extended and accepted. It was not mentioned in the speech was because no date had been set, May's office said.

Tempted a big lead over the opposition Labour party in opinion polls, May had called the snap election expecting an overwhelming victory that would silence dissenters and give her a mandate to push ahead with plans to leave the European Customs Union and drastically limit immigration as Britain leaves the EU. Instead, she lost seats and still hasn't secured a deal with another party to insure Parliament will back the government's agenda.

"The election result was not the one I hoped for, but this government will respond with humility and resolve to the message the electorate sent," May said in a statement. "We will work hard every day to gain the trust and confidence of the British people, making their priorities our priorities."Signaling the importance of Brexit negotiations with the EU, set to continue until the spring of 2019, the speech set out the government's program for two years, rather than one.

The prime minister, who had campaigned with the slogan "Brexit means Brexit," softened her tone in comments released ahead of the speech.

"First, we need to get Brexit right," she said. "That means getting a deal which delivers the result of last year's referendum and does so in a way that commands maximum public support."Even before news of Prince Philip's illness, the government had announced that the speech would be delivered with less pageantry than normal a result of the timing of the snap election. For instance, the queen arrived at Parliament in a car, rather than a horse-drawn carriage, and delivered the speech in everyday dress, instead of the traditional royal robes.

The primary issue was scheduling. The state opening took place only days after another huge annual event, Trooping the Color, a celebration of the queen's birthday. Both ceremonies take weeks of preparation and planning, and it was deemed too difficult to prepare for two such events so close together.

Agencies