Our Priority Is Oct 31 EU Exit, Asserts Queen

Monarch focuses on law & order; PM renews ‘do or die’ vow to save Brexit

The priority of Britain’s government is to leave the European Union (EU) on October 31, Queen Elizabeth said on Monday, setting out Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s programme for a country deeply divided over Brexit.

In a speech to the Parliament, which sets out the legislative agenda for the government, the Queen set out Johnson’s plan to “work towards a new partnership with the EU, based on free trade and friendly cooperation”. But with an election on the horizon, many of his other measures, which see increased spending on the health service and tougher sentencing for serious offenders, are unlikely to pass through the Parliament, making the speech more of a warm-up for the new poll.