State Opening of Parliament and the Queens Speech December 2019

The State Opening of Parliament on Thursday 19 December marks the start of the parliamentary year and the Queens Speech sets out the governments agenda. Parliamentary year A parliament runs from one general election to the next. It is broken up into sessions which run for about a year the parliamentary year. State Opening takes place on the first day of a new session. Queens Speech The Queens Speech marks the formal start to the year. Neither House can conduct any business until after it has been read. Members of both Houses and guests including judges, ambassadors and high commissioners gather in the Lords chamber for the speech. Many wear national or ceremonial dress. Setting the agenda The speech is central to the State Opening ceremony because it sets out the governments legislative agenda for the year. Back to work When The Queen leaves, a new parliamentary session starts, and Parliament gets back to work. Members of both Houses debate the content of the speech and agree a reply, know