AN INTRODUCTION FROM THE PRIME MINISTER This country has risen to challenges with no precedent in recent history. We have led the way in responding to Putin’s brutal attack on Ukraine, rallying the world against his aggression and imposing punishing sanctions on Russia. We have led the way in protecting lives and livelihoods in the battle against COVID19. Thanks to the astonishing rollout of the vaccine and booster programmes – something that was only possible outside the European Union – we were the first European nation to protect half our population with at least one dose, and the first major European nation to boost half our population too. And thanks to Government action to protect jobs, and the phenomenal resilience of British people and businesses, our economy is bouncing back. Today unemployment is back to pre-crisis levels and last year we were the fastest growing economy in the G7. But while we can be proud of what we have achieved, the economic aftershocks of COVID-19 and the biggest war in Europe since 1945 mean huge disruptions to the global economy, with people in every major country facing real pressures in the cost of living. No country is immune and no government can realistically shield everyone from the impact. It is right that we continue doing whatever we can to ease the burdens people are grappling with now, supporting the hardest hit with £22 billion of help to address the cost of living and cutting hundreds of pounds off household bills. But we must also remember that for every pound of taxpayer’s money we spend on reducing bills now, it is a pound we are not investing in bringing down bills and prices over the longer term. And that if anything, this moment makes clear our best remedy lies in urgently delivering on our mission to turbo charge the economy, create jobs and spread opportunity across the country. This is a Queen’s Speech to get our country back on track and ensure that we deliver on the promises we made at the start of this Parliament. It will focus on the priorities of the great British public – priorities that this Government shares. It will boost economic growth across the country to address the cost of living, helping to create the conditions for more people to have high-wage, high-skill jobs. It will back our police in making our streets safer – so we can tackle the anti-social behaviour that blights communities. And it will support the NHS in clearing the COVID-19 backlogs – so our family and friends can get the care they deserve. These are our top priorities – growing the economy, safer streets and supporting the NHS to clear the COVID-19 backlogs.
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