At the Queen’s Speech, which sets out the Government’s agenda for the Parliamentary session ahead, Seema Malhotra challenged the Conservatives’ austerity politics that have defined this Government. She called for an end to austerity, a plan for growth and an industrial strategy. She ended her speech by saying:

The Queen’s Speech lacked a positive vision for our country’s future. It should have had a vision for an end to unemployment and underemployment, with food banks becoming a thing of the past; a vision for children growing up without mental health issues; a vision for a nation that is proud, confident and prosperous; and a vision of a nation happy, with diverse communities living side by side with mutual respect. A vision of a better society was what our country needed, and I am sorry to say that this Queen’s Speech did not deliver it.​