Queen's Speech 2021: What can we expect?

The government's priorities for the year ahead will be set out in the Queen's Speech on Tuesday - here is what you need to know.

It is one of the most eagerly awaited events in the parliamentary calendar, because it's when we find out what the government plans to put into law in the coming year - and what it wants to put out to further consultation or drop altogether.

The speech is delivered by the Queen from the throne of the House of Lords. It is written for her by government ministers and normally lasts about 10 minutes.

It is the centrepiece of the ceremony marking the official opening of Parliament, for another parliamentary year, or "session".

The current session lasted a longer-than-usual 15 months due to the December 2019 general election. The last Queen's Speech took place a week after the election.

The Commons and Lords chambers are normally packed for the Queen's Speech - but the occasion will be pared back this year because of the pandemic.

Only 74 people in total will be allowed in the main Lords chamber, with a further 34 MPs and peers watching from the Royal Gallery.

Everyone in attendance will have to test negative for Covid beforehand and wear a mask. The usual diplomatic guests have not been invited.

The Queen will travel from Buckingham Palace in a Bentley state limousine rather than by carriage, as is traditional.

There will be no members of the military lining the streets outside, or guard of honour to greet her on her arrival at Westminster.

Justice Secretary Robert Buckland, who would normally hand the speech to the Queen in his role as lord chancellor, will instead place it on a table.

Reports have suggested it will contain more than 25 bills, or proposed pieces of legislation.

These will include a number from the current parliamentary session that the government has confirmed will be carried over.

These include the much-delayed Environment Bill on post-Brexit rules for protecting nature, and the controversial Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which sparked protests when it was debated by MPs earlier this year.

Bills announced in the 2019 Queen's Speech but not yet introduced, such as the Employment Bill on new workers' rights, could also be included.

Among new plans, the Sunday Times reports that a Skills and Post-16 Education Bill will promise a "lifetime skills guarantee", building up adult education and training.

An Animal Sentience Bill will give creatures with backbones the "right" to have their feelings recognised in law, according to the Sunday Telegraph. This will also ban imports of hunting trophies and keeping primates as pets, it adds.

Other areas to watch out for on Tuesday include:

The government is expected to reiterate its longstanding pledge to reform how adult social care in England is funded.

But Boris Johnson has not said whether a commitment to a new bill on funding will be included in this year's speech.

Reports suggest that discussions are ongoing within government about the potential cost of changes, which could run into the billions.

Social care could still get a mention as part of the wider Health and Care Bill implementing planned changes to the structure of NHS England.

But the lack of a specific bill on funding could be seized upon by opposition politicians as evidence of further delay in this area.

The speech is expected to mention legislation to restrict future prosecutions of British soldiers who fought in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.

Boris Johnson has been under pressure from Conservative MPs to act in this area, following commitments he made during the party leadership race.

Troubles-era veterans were not included in the Overseas Operations Act, covering conflicts overseas, which became law last month.

Conservative MP Johnny Mercer cited this as a reason for his departure as veterans minister last month.

The government has confirmed proposals to overhaul the UK's post-Brexit asylum system will feature in the speech.

A Sovereign Borders Bill is expected as part of a bid to dissuade migrants from crossing the English Channel.

Under plans announced in March, people seeking protection as refugees would have their claim assessed based on how they arrive in the UK.

Detailed proposals are likely to be watched closely by refugee rights groups, who have criticised the blueprint announced so far.

The speech is also expected to reference new legislation to deliver a hotly contested overhaul of the planning system in England.

The government unveiled proposals last summer to replace case-by-case assessment of planning applications with a new zoning system.

Ministers say the changes will speed up the planning process and help councils to meet new house-building targets.

But Labour criticism that communities would be sidelined has been shared by many Conservative MPs and councillors.

Ministers have confirmed the speech will commit to introducing a bill to replace the 2011 Fixed-Term Parliaments Act.

That law, passed during the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, created a fixed five-year period between general elections.

Under a draft bill published in December, this would be scrapped - with the power to call early elections returning to the prime minister.

Another area the government has already said will feature is building safety regulations.

A Building Safety Bill was included in the 2019 Queen's Speech and published in draft form last July - but is yet to be introduced.

It would introduce a new system for regulating the safety of high-rise buildings, and inspecting buildings under construction.

Alongside the recently passed Fire Safety Act, it is the second bill designed to improve building safety after the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire.

Survivors are also calling for increased rights for social housing tenants, following a government policy paper in November.

Boris Johnson can certainly be more confident of getting his plans through the Commons than when he first became prime minister in July 2019.

He now has an 80-seat majority and the parliamentary battles over Brexit have gone.

A big majority usually means a long list of bills and there may be as many as 30 - though not all will be new.

But the Queen's Speech is more than a shopping list of legislation.

It is a moment for the government to tell a story about its purpose as the UK recovers from Covid.

If there's one phrase ministers never tire of saying, it is "levelling up", the Tories' slogan for addressing the north/south divide and regional inequality.

The government is sure to scatter Her Majesty's text with the slogan, but many Tory MPs will be looking for evidence of action.