Queen Elizabeth II to unveil govt agenda in scaled-down Parliament opening

Queen Elizabeth II will on Wednesday unveil the government's agenda at a scaled-down State Opening of Parliament in a speech which will be dominated by Britain's decision to leave the European Union.

The Queen's Speech is prepared by the government of the day and read out by the monarch to lay out the legislative priorities for parliamentary proceedings. The scaled down version, minus the usual royal procession and pageantry, is a result of the rushed preparations following the snap general election earlier this month.

This year's speech will be dominated by Brexit and will cover a two-year period instead of one to give MPs time to deliberate on laws needed to leave the European Union (EU) - irrespective of the final deal agreed with Brussels.

At the heart of this is the so-called Great Repeal Bill, which will repeal the 1972 European Communities Act and end the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice. It will also copy existing EU legislation to the UK statute book, and Parliament will decide which bits to retain.

As part of the dress-down version of the grand State Opening, the 91-year-old monarch will arrive in a car instead of a carriage and will be wearing a day dress instead of her traditional robes.

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Theresa May led Conservatives are still trying to agree terms with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to secure their support for a minority government after the snap general election failed to win a majority for the ruling party.

"The election result was not the one I hoped for, but this government will respond with humility and resolve to the message the electorate sent. We will work hard every day to gain the trust and confidence of the British people, making their priorities our priorities," May said in the lead up to the Queen's Speech today.

Her ministers have said some parts of the Conservative party manifesto would have to be "pruned" following the election result.

Opposition Labour party and the Liberal Democrats each plan to put forward alternative versions of the Queen's Speech.

"They have got the right to bring forward their own programme, but I don't believe, actually, that they are legitimate in the sense that they have got a mandate that they asked for," Labour's shadow chancellor Jon McDonnell said.

The Liberal Democrats said their version would call for continued membership of the EU single market and customs union after Brexit.