Regal delight as ‘social enterprise’ becomes Queen’s English

Today’s Queen’s Speech installing the new government has been hailed as a ‘milestone’ after the words ‘social enterprises’ were uttered by her majesty.

Outlining the programme for the incoming coalition government the Queen said: ‘The role of social enterprises, charities and cooperatives in our public services will be enhanced.’

CEO of the Social Enterprise Coalition Peter Holbrook said: ‘The Queen’s speech lays out the most crucial and central policies of the government, and to have social enterprise mentioned so prominently is a real milestone for the movement.

‘The next step is to work with the new government to help them realise their ambitions in a way that is both sustainable and strategic, and to push social enterprise into the wider economic agenda.’

Secretary general of Co-operatives UK Ed Mayo also welcomed the speech.

Mayo said: ‘It is great to see that the Queen’s Speech confirms the new government’s commitment to co-operatives and a more collaborative way of working.

‘At Co-operatives UK, we recognise that not all services can be run co‑operatively and that there is still a significant role for the state when it comes to core services.

‘However, what we can offer is the essential expertise and experience of co-operative, mutual and employee ownership models to help the new government’s shared policy on public services succeed.’