Brown's flexi-time pledge to parents was stolen from us, say Tories

To business leaders' dismay, the Prime Minister promised a law to allow parents with teenagers - not just those with under-sixes, as at present - to request family-friendly hours.

The Conservatives promptly accused Mr Brown of stealing the idea - the one big surprise in his first Queen's Speech - from them.

The Prime Minister has been under intense pressure to outline a compelling vision for Britain and reverse a Labour collapse in the polls since he called off a snap autumn election.

But the significance of yesterday's Queen's Speech was diluted because Mr Brown had already announced much of the content.

Other measures including controversial anti-terror proposals pave the way for months of bruising Commons clashes between the two main parties.

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They began in earnest yesterday as Mr Brown and Mr Cameron exchanged bad-tempered blows on the issue of immigration.

The Conservative leader accused the Prime Minister of adopting the language of the far-Right BNP and National Front with his slogan promising "British jobs for British workers".

Mr Cameron brandished extremist literature bearing the same motto - and said the Prime Minister knew his proposals were illegal under EU law.

The pair also clashed over the Government's plan to raise the inheritance tax threshold, unveiled days after the Conservatives made a similar pledge.

The Tory leader challenged: "Look me in the eye and say that you were planning to reform inheritance tax before our party conference."

Mr Brown said: "The answer is yes. An unequivocal yes. And all the records will show it."

Twenty-eight Bills were outlined yesterday. A late addition to the legislative programme is a change to the law on self-defence, giving "have-a-go" homeowners more rights to protect their properties.

On flexible working laws, aides said Mr Brown had been impressed by the success of previous Labour moves to encourage more family-friendly hours.

Since 2003, 3.6million parents of children under six and disabled children under 18 have had the right to request flexible working patterns.

This has since been extended to 2.65million carers of adults. They can ask to work fewer days a week or adopt "flexitime". While employers can decline the requests, 95 per cent are granted.

Employees can appeal internally against a refusal, and then go to an employment tribunal, where they can be awarded up to eight weeks' pay.

The Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform said it expected the move to apply to parents of "older, teenage children". Extending the right to all those with children aged 16 or under would include an extra 4.5million workers.

The Tories accused Mr Brown - who came under fire last month for a "Magpie Budget" mirroring Tory tax proposals - of stealing an idea they set out last year.

Shadow Chancellor George Osborne said: "Flexible working is the latest example of the Conservatives setting the agenda in British politics.

"We proposed extending the right to request flexible working to all parents over a year ago. Today, Gordon Brown followed our lead.

"That's the difference between us and them. We think up the policies, they steal them."