United Kingdom coalition government (2010–present)

The Con-Lib coalition is the present Government of the United Kingdom, formed after the 2010 general election. The Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats entered into discussions which culminated in the 2010 coalition agreement, setting out a programme for government until the next general election, scheduled for 2015.

Contents

Coalition agreement

Main article: Conservative – Liberal Democrat Coalition Agreement

The initial agreement between the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats spelled out eleven key areas on which the coalition would focus.[1]

  1. Deficit reduction
  2. A spending review - concerning the National Health Service, schools and a "fairer society"
  3. Tax measures
  4. Banking reform
  5. Immigration
  6. Political reform (including changes to the electoral system)
  7. Pensions and welfare
  8. Education
  9. The UK's relationship with the European Union
  10. Civil liberties
  11. The environment

A final agreement followed.[2]

Coalition members

Main articles: Cameron Ministry and Premiership of David Cameron

Following the general election, negotiations took place between the Liberal Democrats and the Labour Party, and between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives. It became clear that Labour and the Liberal Democrats could not form a coalition government, while David Cameron made a "big, open, comprehensive offer" to the Liberal Democrats to form a coalition with them. Having agreed on a coalition, David Cameron (Con) accepted the Queen's invitation to form the government as Prime Minister, with George Osborne (Con) as the Chancellor of the Exchequer, William Hague (Con) as the Foreign Secretary, Theresa May (Con) as Home Secretary, while other key positions went to Nick Clegg (LibDem) as the Deputy Prime Minister, Liam Fox (Con) as Defence Secretary, Michael Gove (Con) as Education Secretary, Andrew Lansley (Con) as Health Secretary, Vince Cable (LibDem) as Business Secretary and Kenneth Clarke (Con) as Justice Secretary. The Constitution Unit conducted a year-long research project into the coalition, interviewing 120 Parliamentarians, civil servants and ministers, and concluded that the coalition hasn’t been beset by partisan rancour but has been remarkably stable and decisive. [3]

Policy changes introduced

2010 budget

Main article: June 2010 United Kingdom Budget

Public spending cuts

The coalition government has instituted cuts which have closed several services. The closure programme was initially focused upon public bodies funded by government, often known as quangos, which were abolished or merged. By July 2010, a total of 54 such bodies had either been abolished or had their funding withdrawn.[4] In October 2010 a list of 192 quangos to be abolished was officially released, with 118 to be merged.[5] These include:

In addition, several agencies will merge:[4]

A number of agencies including the Student Loans Company and the Central Office of Information were marked 'Under consideration' in the official Government release, subject to future reviews by the end of 2010.[6]

The coalition government has also closed a number of programmes or services provided directly by Government Departments, such as the public health National Support Teams.

Legislation enacted

Legislation proposed

See also

References

  1. ^ Interim agreement (pdf)
  2. ^ Final agreement (pdf)
  3. ^ http://www.ethosjournal.com/home/item/269-ruling-by-consensus
  4. ^ a b Nigel Morris One by one, the quangos are abolished. But at what cost? The Independent, 27 July 2010
  5. ^ Staff writer (14 October 2010). "Quango list shows 192 to be axed". BBC News. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11538534. Retrieved 23 October 2010. 
  6. ^ HM Government (14 October 2010). "PUBLIC BODIES REFORM – PROPOSALS FOR CHANGE". Directgov. http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_dg/groups/dg_digitalassets/@dg/@en/documents/digitalasset/dg_191543.pdf. Retrieved 23 October 2010. 

External links

Premiership
Cameron Ministry • Conservative – Liberal Democrat Coalition Agreement • Coalition government • Big Society • First Speech as Prime Minister • Muscular liberalism • Project Merlin
Politics
General elections
Party elections
Family
Samantha Cameron • Sir William Mount, 2nd Baronet (grandfather) • Ewen Cameron (great great grandfather)
In the media
Conservatism Portal · Book:David Cameron · Category:David Cameron
Government
Politics
General elections
Party elections
Family
In the media
Wikimedia
Nick Clegg at Wikinews  · Nick Clegg
Conservatism Portal