Priti Patel, the interior minister, supporting the overhaul, said: “The law-abiding, responsible majority has had enough anti-social, destructive protests by a self-indulgent minority who seem to enjoy the chaos and misery of the rest of us.”
“The Public Order Bill will give the police the powers they need to curb this scandalous behavior and ensure that the British public can continue its life without interruption.
The Telegraph may also reveal that new measures will be announced to force P&O and other ferry companies to pay staff on board the minimum wage in the UK.
The proposal will create a legal obligation for ports to ensure that arriving ships – which may include cruise ships and tankers – pay a minimum wage, with penalties for UK ports and ship operators who do not comply.
Other expected announcements will be dropped as part of a new impetus for Downing Street to focus on Tory policies, which means that bans on imports of goose liver and skins will be lifted.
The speech is not expected to include new measures to tackle the cost of living, although Tory strategists warn that this will be the dominant issue in the next general election.
All changes in tax levels and spending will have to wait until the autumn budget, according to Finance Ministry sources – although Mr Johnson hopes other non-fiscal moves will be announced sooner.
But the prime minister will talk about the scale of the cost of living challenge and the need to help those affected in his speech.
Mr Johnson is expected to say: “We will take the country through the aftershocks of Covid, just as we did through Covid, with every drop of ingenuity, compassion and hard work.
“As we urgently continue our mission to create high pay, highly skilled jobs that will stimulate economic growth throughout our UK.
“This is a long-term, sustainable solution to alleviate the burden on families and businesses.”
The queen keeps a busy diary
The palace said earlier that the queen hoped to read her usual speech at the opening of parliament on Tuesday, but said final confirmation would not be given until the day.
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