David Cameron named Prime Minister as Tories and Lib Dems take power
CONSERVATIVE and Liberal Democrat leaders were waking up today to the enormous task of making the UK's first coalition government in 65 years a success.
Five days after the General Election, David Cameron, aged 43, walked into Downing Street as Prime Minister last night after the Lib Dems ended their on-off flirtation with Labour to seal a coalition with the Tories and trigger the collapse of Gordon Brown's defeated administration.
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David Cameron and his wife Samantha at Number 10 Downing Street
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg will be Deputy Prime Minister in the emerging cabinet.
But even as the historic agreement was announced outside Number 10, it was clear both leaders had taken their parties far further towards the middle ground than their followers could have anticipated before May 6.
For the Tories, coalition government will mean having to support core Lib Dem policies such as raising the income tax threshold to £10,000, at a cost of £16 billion in lost revenue, protecting child tax credits from cutbacks, introducing pupil premium payments to fund schools and delivering civil liberties reforms including the repeal of national ID cards and biometric passports and the expansion of the Freedom of Information Act.
The Conservatives have also promised a referendum on the Lib Dems' pledge to reform the electoral system.
However, Lib Dems face having to back Tory plans to cut the budget deficit by an extra £6 billion a year, curb immigration, reform the welfare system, introduce tax incentives for married couples and abandon any plans to join the Euro.
Other agreements include an agreement to schedule the next General Election for May 2015, and to maintain the Trident nuclear deterrent while exploring alternative options for the future.
As details of the coalition cabinet emerged last night, it appeared that the first ever Lib Dem ministers in the party's 22-year history would include Vince Cable as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, with David Laws becoming Education Secretary and Danny Alexander as Scottish Secretary.
But most of the key posts appear to have gone to Conservatives, with George Osborne as Chancellor, former Tory leader William Hague heading up the Foreign Office, Andrew Lansley as Health Secretary and Liam Fox in charge of Defence.
In his Downing Street address, Mr Cameron drew inspiration from the words of past leaders.
His pledge to build a society "where we don't just ask what are my entitlements, but what are my responsibilities" paid homage to U.S. President John F Kennedy, while his remarks about creating a government where "people are in control and the politicians are always their servant and never their masters" echoed Tony Blair's 1997 "We are not the master now" victory speech.
Mr Clegg told supporters: "We are now going to form a new government, more importantly we are going to form a new kind of government. I hope this is the start of the new politics I have always believed in."
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by Johntoe, Stitched up Britain
Friday, May 14 2010, 5:38AM
“anon 1,
You are doing the same thing that a lot of people who post here seem to have a habit of doing,
Assuming and jumping to conclusions and telling ME what I think,
I never was a great fan of new Labour from very soon after Blair took office, they certainly were not the Labour party I would have wanted,
I took part in an anti war demo,
But even so I was, and still am a long way away from ever wanting to see the Tories back in power,
I voted Lib Dem in this election because where I live they were the only ones with a chance of stopping the Tories, they didn't.
and NO I would NOT have wanted Labour to do a 'deal' with the Lib DAMNED just to hold onto power, and would have been angry if they had,
I am glad that they at least had the guts and integrity NOT to "sell out" either their ideals OR those who voted for them just to hold onto power, unlike the other two who are both guilty of betraying large numbers of their supporters,
the grumbling from both lots of supporters has been largely ignored by the press who would have us believe that suddenly all Lib Dims and Tories love each other, I can assure you that is NOT the case, and will soon become apparent.
What I would have wanted was a short term minority Tory government just to remind people of what they are like,
But instead we got stitched up, it won't end well, mark my words, there is a storm coming,”
by anon1, norton green
Thursday, May 13 2010, 10:30PM
“so what is the answer Johntoe?
The public very definatley voted OUT Labour. Do you suggest they (the unelected) stay at no.10?
Or...
Do the party who the people voted for, albeit insufficient to command an overall majority in the House of Commons, get together with another recognised (not the BNP) party to steer the Country through this condemned crisis that the red rosetted charicatures have plunged us?
For me, any party that is different than those that have lied, deceived, conned, collaborated, taken us into unlawful International conflicts, bred a state dependant society, and shafted the working man is welcomed; the old regime has gone, good riddance!!!!
I'm interested to know what you think should happen. Though as a Labourite, you are bound to say the unelected losers should still command power. Democracy, eh???”
by Johntoe, Stokie in stitched up Britain,
Thursday, May 13 2010, 4:37PM
“Is everyone aware of what has just happened to our democracy?
first we had an election in which NO party won an overall majority,
I accept without argument that Labour came second,
BUT the Tories DIDN'T get an overall majority, so they and the party that came THIRD got together and between them decided to drop some of their 'principles' and promises to the electorate (many of them being the reasons that people chose to give them their votes)
in order to cobble together an unelected 'alliance'
and no sooner had they done this, they then go on to 'fix' their term in office to 5 years, and if that wasn't enough, they now intend to change the no confidence vote in their favour!!
So whereas before it was 51% of MPs in the house of commons that would be required to vote out a government and force an election, NOW it will require 55%!!! and have a guess how many MPs the CONDEMned have?
I would have expected such a blatant attack on democracy from the likes of the BNP, certainly not from a party that calls itself the "liberal democratic" party.
this is a blatant atempt to take away our democracy,
I don't care which party you support if you support democracy you can NOT say you support this, it is an outrage,
there WILL be trouble, despite the media refusing to report it, there are a lot of angry people from all sides in this country, we have just had the first ever British coup,”
by Conned & Damned, Mow Cop
Thursday, May 13 2010, 12:58PM
“I've read all the posts on this topic & I can't believe how gullible the British public still is after the past 30 years of conflict, sleaze & corruption in Westminster. For those who are thinking that this is a fair coalition try looking at the titles of the 5 Lib Dem cabinet ministers:-business secretary,energy & climate change,chief sec. to the treasury & Scottish secretary. Oh! of course good old Nicky is the Deputy Prime Minister. If anyone believes for one minute that anything those 5 say with regard to the economy or anything else that matters a damn, is going to influence any Tory decisions is living in cloud cukoo land. Apart from 3 of the 4 having 'secretary' in their title the lauded post of Deputy Prime Minister is described by Wikipedia as 'The office of the Deputy Prime Minister is not a permanent position. It exists only at the discretion of the Prime Minister. The office is normally considered as an honorific title.' In other words it has been given to good old Cleggy as a sop & he carries about as much weight & power as a poodle would have in a pride of lions. So for all of you shouting from the rooftops about Brown's demise as the old saying goes ' you've made your bed so now you must lie on it.' The problem is that we other unfortunates have to lie on it too whether we want to or not. Mark my words, whether your working, disabled, a pensioner or just work shy, then the next 5 years are going to fetch you to your knees & have you wishing that you'd never heard of David Cameron & co!”
by tonyjohnt, Hanley
Thursday, May 13 2010, 9:40AM
“Hopeful - sorry, but I really must challenge you: Thatcher (spit) did not make "bad mistakes". Her all out war on the working-class was a calculated and deliberate programme.
There's plenty to condemn Blair for, but get your facts right. We're not in the euro.
As for getting the country back in to work, thousands of public sector workers are about to be thrown on the dole as Gideon implements his savage cuts. We may all be in this together, but I'm certain Cameron will ride the austerity he imposes better than most of us.”
by lee, Meir
Thursday, May 13 2010, 9:40AM
“Graham very good post, I to wish that the people of Stoke On Trent would stop kowtowing to the labour party, but thats democracy for you, once again I will have to suffer useless MPs & councillors :( .”
by tonyjohnt, Hanley
Thursday, May 13 2010, 9:13AM
“What was it Cameron kept saying during the election? "Vote Lib Dem - get Gordon Brown"!!! Let's hope our new Prime Minister displays better political judgement in future.
The mantra has become "strong and stable government", well this botched arrangement certainly smells like something from the stable. The sine qua non of a democratic State is a democratically elected government. NOBODY voted for this last week.
Those longing for PR should reflect... do they want third place charlatans like Clegg (spit) deciding the shape of all future governments?”
by graham, Newcastle
Thursday, May 13 2010, 8:19AM
“People Just dont get it yet do they. Clegg and the Liberal Democrat's have outmanoeuvred both the Labour and Conservatives at every step of this election. Not only have they done that but they have managed to split both those parties right down the middle. He outlined what he wanted for all to hear in those three televised debates, he even hinted at what he wanted to happen when he said in one of them that they should all sit down together around a table and sort out the mess of the country, but no one listened to him least of all the other two on the podium. He then came out strait after the election and said that he would support Torys as they were the ones that had the most votes and the most seats, and they began to negotiate to run the country. He then began talks with Labour, thats when he then managed to split labour, because before the election had even begun he went on record as saying that if he was to work with Labour Brown would have to go. Mandelson and Campbell then got rid of Brown stirring up a hornets nest in the rank and file of the Labour movement, and then Labour pulled out of negotiations. The Torys meanwhile split them selves right down the middle with many of the more grand Torys saying that they should go it a lone even when they know that to do so they would be out voted at every opportunity. everything else is now history, not bad for a party that only has 57 MPs although they pulled just over 6,000,000 votes throughout Britain is it. Just think about it for a moment if a party with Nick Clegg can do that to strong parties like those other two, what I wonder can Britain. OH and for the record I wonder what the people of Stoke on Trent are now thinking now they have once more backed the wrong guy, you know the one that I mean Mandelson's puppy Tristan, the person that was going to use all his influence with Mr Creepy to get the City back on its feet, once again backed the wrong horse and once more the City must suffer well done those 12,000 or more that voted him in, you will never learn will you.”
by lee, Meir
Thursday, May 13 2010, 6:55AM
“Johntoe didnt you vote LibDem (albeit to keep the Torys out I think you said) isnt politics a funny old game :) .”
by keith, France ex Kidsgrove,
Thursday, May 13 2010, 2:13AM
“as a life long labour supporter all i can say is, give them a chance, who knows things could improve.!!”