Queen's speech: Miliband says deep public cynicism must be tackled

Labour leader responds to bills by highlighting risk of public apathy and questioning ability to build a nation 'that works for all'

Parliament must address the deep cynicism in the public reflected by the mass of voters who turned to Ukip or did not vote at all, Ed Miliband said in response to the Queen's speech on Wednesday.

The leader of the opposition said apathy and discontent were challenges faced by all parties and governments, and that they risked undermining Britain's democracy.

Miliband also questioned whether the government's programme would do anything to meet the concerns of people who felt their work was not valued.

He said: "What the recent elections show is that more than at any time for generations, this house faces a contemporary battle of its own - a battle for relevance, legitimacy, and standing in the eyes of the public.

"The custom of these debates [on the Queen's speech] is to address our opponents across the dispatch box … but today, on its own, that would be inadequate to the challenge we face. There is an even bigger opponent to address. – the belief among many members of the public that this house cannot achieve anything at all, any party in it.

"About 10% of those entitled to vote in the recent elections voted for Ukip. But as significant, over 60% did not vote at all. Whatever side we sit on we will all have heard it on the doorstep: 'You are all the same. You are in it for yourself. It doesn't matter who you vote for.'

"Of course that's not new. But there is a depth and scale of disenchantment we ignore at our peril. There is no bigger issue for our country and our democracy."

Labour's leader was responding to a mixed bag in the Queen's speech of 11 bills and three draft bills for the final year of the coalition.

Some of the newer proposals were for national park authorities to have local elections, the prevention of invasive species entering the UK, the protection of "have-a-go" heroes, and a supermarket obligation to charge shoppers for plastic bags, at 5p each, from 2015.

The government's moves also included:

A new power of recall (promised in the coalition agreement in 2010) to be triggered if MPs are given jail sentences or if the Commons resolves that MPs have engaged in "serious wrongdoing". Voters would have to collect the signatures of 10% of constituents to force a byelection.

An infrastructure bill expected to "streamline the underground access regime" to allow fracking under private property. This is still subject to consultation before its definite inclusion.

A pensions bill giving people more control over how they save their money for retirement. Plus a small-business bill shedding red tape, increasing transparency about corporate ownership and reforming zero-hours contracts. A bill offering tax relief of up to £2,000 on childcare payments was also included.

Miliband said the test for the government's programme was whether it responded to "the need for answers". He said campaigning had shown him concerns about the need for reform and "deep-rooted concerns about immigration and the need to make changes".

He added: "I believe there is an even deeper reason for this discontent: fundamentally too many people in our country feel Britain doesn't work for them and hasn't done so for a long time – in the jobs they do, and whether hard work is rewarded, and in the prospects for their children and whether they will lead a better life than their parents, including whether they will be able to afford a home of their own, and in the pressures communities face. Above all, whether the work and effort people put in is reflected and shown fairly in the wealth of the country."

Turning to the agenda laid out by the Queen's speech, Miliband said Labour backed some measures, including those dealing with modern slavery, recall of MPs, and an ombudsman for the armed forces.

"But the big question for this Queen's speech is whether it just offers more of the same or whether it offers a new direction so we can genuinely say we can build a country that works for all and not just a few at the top."

He said politicians should listen to the voices of all the people saying hard work was not rewarded. Citing an example of a struggling agency worker in Nottingham, living with the insecurity of uncertain hours, he said: "The fact that this is happening in 21st-century Britain today, the fourth richest country in the world, is something that should shame us all. This is not the Britain he believes in, it's not the Britain we believe in, and it shouldn't be the Britain this house is prepared to tolerate."

Five million people in Britain – one in five of those in work – were low paid, he said, adding: "Now there is a bill in this Queen's speech covering employment, but the bill we need would signal a new chapter in the battle against low pay and insecurity at work, not just business as usual. Now what would that involve? It would set a clear target for the minimum wage for each parliament so we raise it closer to average earnings.

"If you are working regular hours for month after month, you should be entitled to a regular contract, not a zero-hours contract. If dignity at the workplace means anything it should clearly mean this, we could make it happen this parliament and show the people of this country that we get what is happening – but this Queen's speech does not do that."

He also spoke of banks not serving small businesses with regard to lending, and urged a break-up of large banks to tackle the "uncompetitive banking system".