Queen Elizabeth unveils government's reform agenda ahead of EU vote

Queen Elizabeth unveils government's reform agenda ahead of EU vote

PanARMENIAN.Net - Queen Elizabeth unveiled plans by British Prime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday, May 18 to overhaul prisons and help the poor under a social reform agenda he hopes to press after a referendum on European Union membership, Reuters reports.

In a ceremony laden with pomp and pageantry in the upper house of parliament, the queen announced plans for more than 20 new laws, ranging from tackling extremism to making it easier for people to adopt children who are wards of the state.

Much of what was announced was already known, and some members of Cameron's divided Conservative Party said measures had been watered down because of the June 23 vote, Reuters says.

The queen listed some of the laws the government planned to introduce, including reforms of prisons and adoption rules.

She said her "ministers will uphold the sovereignty of parliament and the primacy of the house of commons (lower house of parliament)."

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