General Election 2017 - next steps

Following last week’s General Election, the Prime Minister’s cabinet reshuffle is underway. David Gauke MP – the former Chief Secretary for the Treasury – has been appointed as the new Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, and Alun Cairns MP retains his position as Secretary of State for Wales. Meanwhile, the previous Work and Pensions Secretary Damian Green MP has been appointed as First Secretary of State, and will effectively act as Deputy Prime Minister. Appointments of Junior Ministers, including the English Housing Minister, will be confirmed later this week.

The House of Commons will meet tomorrow for the first time in this Parliament to elect a speaker and for MPs to take their oath before Parliament officially resumes with the State Opening of Parliament and the Queen’s Speech. The State Opening marks the formal start of the parliamentary year and the Queen’s Speech sets out the government’s agenda for the coming session, outlining proposed policies and legislation, and was due to take place on 19th June. However, this has now been delayed due to ongoing negotiations between the Conservatives and the DUP. We will keep you up to date on all the latest developments as they happen, including a briefing on the announcements in the Queen’s Speech.