The Conservatives and Liberal Democratshave come to an agreement; Mr Brown resigned as Prime Minister during the evening of May 11. He advised the Queen to invite David Cameron (who is the youngest PM since 1812) to form the next government. Nick Clegg, leader of the Liberal Democrats, will become Deputy Prime Minister.
Cameron will be the 12th person to hold the office of PM during the Queen’s reign. He has been an MP for nine yearsand leader of his party for four years.
The Liberal Democrats had been involved earlier this week in detailed discussions with the Conservatives and also with Labour considering alternative alliances.
Gordon Brown also resigned as leader of the Labour Party and the Labour Party will now start the process of selecting his successor as leader.
What Have the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats Agreed?
- The Conservatives will lead a coalition with the Liberal Democrats. They believe this will be most stable government possible. Nick Clegg will be Deputy Prime Minister. There are likely to be an additional four Liberal Democrat Ministers in the Cabinet and a total of about 20 Lib Dem members of the government.
- They have agreed to a referendum on whether the Alternative Vote (AV) system should be introduced for elections to the House of Commons. The Conservatives have agreed to whip the vote enabling the referendum, but will allow their own MPs to campaign against any change in the current (First Past The Post) system, if they so wish.
- The £6bn of spending cuts to non-front line services promised this year by the Conservatives will go ahead, unless the economy were to dramatically weaken. The UK has a £160bn deficit.
- The Conservatives would also adopt the Liberal Democrat plan to increase the tax-free allowance on income tax to £10,000. A meaningful initial rise in the allowance would come quickly, with a clear timetable announced to get to the full £10,000.
- There will be a rise in the Capital Gains Tax.
- The Lib Dems have agreed to drop plans for a "mansion tax".
- There will not be a significant increase in the Inheritance Tax threshold outlined in the Conservative manifesto during the next parliament.
- Both parties want similar-sounding pupils' premiums and further schools reforms.
- Cleaning up politics is also near the top of the agenda and there are a range of measures from fixed term Parliaments (likely to be 5 years), banning non-domiciled peers, curbs on lobbyists and recalling MPs.
- The two sides agreed a commitment to a replacement for the Trident nuclear missile system but the programme will be scrutinised for value for money.
- The Lib Dems have agreed to a cap on non- E.U. immigration and a commitment not to join the euro for the lifetime of the parliament.
- Marriage will be recognised in the tax system but the Lib Dems will be allowed to abstain during the legislative process during its likely introduction
- The planned rise in National Insurance will not go ahead.
- There will be an emergency Budget within 50 days.
There have, as yet, been no announcements on climate change, civil liberties and bank regulation.
The Background to the Events of May 11, 2010
The Conservatives achieved the highest number of victories (306 seats) at the May 6, 2010 General Election, but failed to gain a sufficient number of MPs to command a majority in the House of Commons.
There are now 57 Liberal Democrat MPs. Liberals have not been the ruling party since 1915 but shared power with Conservatives from 1915 until 1922. There was also a coalition government during much of World War 2.
Many grass roots supporters of both parties will be uneasy about working closely with their political opponents. Both parties' parliamentary groups are likely to accept the terms of the coalition.
The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats and Electoral Reform
A central element in the Liberal Democrat philosophy and their election manifestos has been a demand for voting reform, and preferably a form of Proportional Representation (PR).
The Liberal Democrats and other smaller parties are likely to benefit from the introduction of PR at the expense of the two largest parties. Many Conservatives and some Labour MPs, however, are against any change to the current “First Past The Post” system as these two parties, who have been in power for various periods since 1922, could lose their dominance in the Commons.
Formal Talks Between Labour and Liberal Democrats
There had also been private, and then public, discussions between these two parties during the previous few days. Some anger was expressed by the Conservatives at the alleged secret nature of the early talks.
Why Did Mr Brown Remain As Prime Minister After May 7, 2010?
The Conservative-supporting tabloid newspapers accused Brown of clinging on to power and “squatting” in 10 Downing Street. This was both inaccurate and unfair. It was his constitutional duty to remain as PM until it was clear that the Queen could invite Cameron to replace him. Her advisers, who were invited observers at the talks, would have told her that she could not invite Cameron until the Conservative-Liberal Democrat talks ended.
A Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition has now been announced. It remains to be seen whether this coalition will last long. The bookmakers are suggesting that there could be another General Election in 2010 or 2011.
The new coalition government from 12 May, 2010.
Martin Oldfield - Martin Oldfield I have worked as a Tour Leader taking groups of travellers to a range of countries in Asia, Africa, the Caribbean and ...
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