For Gordon Brown, the state opening of parliament is usually a perfunctory affair, marked by the flummery he despises.

On Wednesday, however, in what was Tony Blair's last Queen's Speech before he leaves office, it was Mr Brown's, rather than Mr Blair's, agenda on which politicians and pundits alike were focused. And those straining for a glimpse of what a Gordon Brown government might look like were rewarded with a string of clues.