Behind all pomp and ceremony and tradition that is the Queen’s speech, Labour is taking real steps to promote hope and aspiration amongst young people by extending educational opportunities for all. In a global economy, we have to make sure that all young people, not just some, have the chance to meet their potential - the Education and Skills Bill does just that.

For young people in my consitituency, I think the Queen’s speech will bring new opportunities and invest a reality that they are valued in our society and will be valued now and in the future. The Bill will raise the participation age from 16 to 18, so that every young person, regardless of their background, will have the right to stay in education or training until they are 18. This doesn’t mean that young people will be forced to stay at school, but I do think that it will ensure young people think about their future.

Young people will get a choice of how they want to be take part in education or training. Those that want to stay in school or college can do so. For others there will be a choice of work-based learning or attending college part time whilst working. Labour will also extend apprenticeship opportunities and put a duty on employers to support young people with their training, so that no young person misses out. This means that opportunities to learn on the job will be enhanced so young people can earn and learn.

Opportunity for all is Labour's mantra. In government we have been dedicated to transforming the life chances of every one of our citizens - the programme outlined in today's Queen's Speech will ensure that Labour continues to meet the rising aspirations of the British people.

Our vision is of a Britain where all children are able to unlock their potential. In order to do so we need to continue our work to transform the life chances of all children and young people. This means protecting everyone, including the most vulnerable - that's why the Queen's Speech includes measures to improve services for children and young people in care.

Many children in care are there because they have suffered abuse or neglect and, as a group, they are less likely to achieve good grades at school. The Children and Young Persons Bill will help to deliver a better life for this vulnerable group.

Children in care deserve to live in a stable and happy environment. By better supporting these children and young people we can deliver greatly improved outcomes and opportunities. The Bill will ensure good parenting from all greater stability in every the care environment, and it will make sure that the child's voice is listened to, especially when important decisions about their future are taken.

In the London borough of Ealing, which for 12 years enjoyed the leadership of a Labour council and is now temporarily in the hands of the Tories, 14 per cent of looked-after children go on to university—the highest level anywhere in England and Wales . At the 2006 Community Care awards ceremony, Ealing Council won the Oswin Memorial Award for the Ealing Schools Aim Higher project, which offers educational opportunities for looked-after children and care leavers. This impressive project – which was also highly commended in the Improving Outcomes for Looked-After Children category – is in its third year and targets underachieving groups, such as black boys, in the care system. The model is based on a mentoring scheme delivered by Ealing’s older care leavers currently at university.

There are 35 Ealing care leavers at university, two of whom are on Masters courses. This means an astonishing 14 per cent of the west London borough’s looked-after children are in higher education compared with a national figure of 1 per cent. Of these 35, 10 have become mentors and their role is to contact each of Ealing’s year 10 and year 11 looked-after children. They explain the process of selecting universities, support them through the application process, and motivate them to study for the grades needed for entry.

This Government has uncompromisingly high ambitions for all children, including those in care. I believe that the Children and Young Persons Bill will help to build on successes such as those in Ealing in order to deliver a better life for young people in care, closing the attainment gap and ensuring they reach their full potential.

Labour’s climate change bill is a truly groundbreaking piece of legislation. When it becomes law, it will make Britain the first country in the world to put into statue a legal framework for reducing carbon emissions. Climate change is the greatest challenge facing this generation – not just for Britain, but for the entire global community -and I’m proud that Labour is leading the world on this issue. The Climate Change Bill will set an overall framework for tackling climate change, and will work in tandem with other Labour legislation – including the forthcoming Energy Bill and English Planning Bill – to move Britain towards a low carbon economy.

Also vital to Britain’s future is the new Housing and Regeneration Bill. This is about meeting the needs and aspirations of Britain’s hard working families, and particularly prospective first time buyers and those in need of affordable rented housing. This Bill will benefit my own constituents in Stafford, and those in many other parts of the country, where house prices are rising and many young people feel they are being left behind by the housing market. It will help us towards our target of 3 million new homes by 2020, while ensuring that the communities we build are mixed and sustainable. And, in keeping with our environmental priorities, the new housing will be greener too!

Having backed Gordon Brown enthusiastically as leader in Swindon, we wanted to see his vision. The talk was of a Queen’s Speech that set out a program that would set the country on the right course for the next 20 years. The focus was on climate change, education, energy, planning, law and order, terrorism and constitutional reform. Swindon was not let down. In fact, as well as dealing with the long term, it dealt with the issues of the moment for my constituents.

Carbon emissions particularly are breaking news in Swindon as well as nationally. So I was delighted that the Queen’s Speech includes a strengthened Climate Change Bill, the first of its kind in history, and a major step forward for the environmental movement. Over 100 constituents have written to me in recent weeks asking for stronger action on climate change, including most recently children from Mountford Manor Primary School. I’ll work with local groups such as SCAN (Swindon Climate Change Action Network) to ensure the changes we make in parliament are matched by changes in behaviour on the ground.

GCSE results have improved in Swindon over the past ten years but we need to do much more for those youngsters slipping through the net, so three cheers for education and training for all up to the age of 18. The strength of high tech and manufacturing in Swindon means that we need a strong skills base, which this policy will deliver. It also means more local youngsters will share in the town’s prosperity.

I was also pleased that planning and housing, often too low on the political agenda, was addressed by Gordon Brown. In Swindon we have a Tory council letting us down on housing: there’s a waiting list of 7000 yet they’ve missed their already low targets on social housing for the last two years. I look forward to the proposed Homes and Communities Agency making sure Swindon’s 35,000 new homes include high quality rental housing as well as affordable houses to buy for local people.

All in all an excellent Queen’s Speech for the people of Swindon.