This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/8669508.stm

The article has changed 31 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Clegg to deliberate on Tory deal Clegg to deliberate on Tory deal
(about 4 hours later)
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg is set to hold talks with his MPs as he weighs up the offer of a power-sharing deal with the Conservatives. Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg will talk to his MPs later about a power-sharing offer from the Tories, after the UK election resulted in a hung parliament.
More than a day after the polls closed, it remains unclear who will lead the country after the general election delivered a hung Parliament. The Conservatives won most seats but not enough to secure a majority and are looking to the third-biggest party for support to form a government.
David Cameron approached the Lib Dems after the Tories won the most seats but finished 20 short of a majority. Gordon Brown remains in Downing Street and says he "respects" the right of Mr Clegg to talk to David Cameron first.
Labour leader Gordon Brown also said he was prepared to talk to the Lib Dems. But if that fails he suggested Labour could do a deal with the Lib Dems.
Senior figures from the Lib Dems and Conservatives held talks on Friday night following Tory leader David Cameron's "big, open and comprehensive" offer to work together to form the next government. Mr Clegg will meet his frontbench MPs at 1030 BST and his wider parliamentary party at 1200 BST to discuss Mr Cameron's proposals in the wake of the first general election to deliver a hung parliament since 1974. The party's federal executive will meet at 1700 BST.
It came after the Conservative leader offered an "all party committee of inquiry on political and electoral reform". The BBC understands it will be a wide ranging discussion and the Lib Dems are not expected to decide on any deal.
However, he did not pledge a referendum on changing the voting system - a key concern of the Lib Dems. 'Common view'
BBC political editor Nick Robinson said Mr Cameron's offer could include cabinet posts. On Friday Conservative leader Mr Cameron said he wanted to make a "big, open and comprehensive offer" to the Lib Dems to "work together" in the national interest. The BBC understands the two leaders spoke by phone but there was little discussion of details.
ELECTION 2010: KEY REPORTS class="" href="/2/hi/uk_news/politics/election_2010/8669409.stm">Tories and Lib Dems in deal talks class="" href="/2/hi/uk_news/politics/election_2010/8667938.stm">Cameron offers deal to Lib Dems class="" href="/2/hi/uk_news/politics/election_2010/8666569.stm">Brown 'proud of Labour's record' class="" href="/2/hi/uk_news/politics/election_2010/8666737.stm">Labour loses mandate - Cameron class="" href="/2/hi/uk_news/politics/election_2010/8667121.stm">'Disappointing night' for Lib Dems class="" href="/2/hi/uk_news/politics/election_2010/wales/8666699.stm">Lembit Opik loses seat class="" href="/2/hi/uk_news/politics/election_2010/northern_ireland/8666196.stm">First Minister Robinson loses seat class="" href="/2/hi/uk_news/politics/election_2010/8666867.stm">Jacqui Smith loses her seat class="" href="/2/hi/uk_news/politics/election_2010/8666445.stm">Caroline Lucas is first Green MP class="" href="/2/hi/uk_news/politics/election_2010/8667231.stm">BNP increases votes but no seats class="" href="/2/hi/uk_news/politics/election_2010/wales/8666601.stm">Labour retake Blaenau Gwent class="" href="/2/hi/uk_news/politics/election_2010/8667143.stm">New Tory MP sings live for BBC class="" href="/2/hi/uk_news/politics/election_2010/8666221.stm">Election 2010: At-a-glance class="" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/haveyoursay/2010/05/what_does_a_hung_parliament_me.html">Send us your comments class="" href="/2/hi/uk_news/politics/election_2010/8667801.stm">Poll Watch: Were they accurate? class="" href="/2/hi/uk_news/politics/election_2010/8667820.stm">The Queen's vital role class="" href="/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8668232.stm">Analysis: Deal or no deal? But Mr Clegg is likely to face opposition from some within his own party to doing a deal with the Conservatives - and Mr Cameron will face a battle from some Conservatives if he allows senior Lib Dems to serve in a Conservative-led cabinet.
Leaving the Cabinet Office late on Friday, after the hour-long discussion with Lib Dem counterparts, the Conservatives' William Hague said: "We've had an initial meeting. That's all there is to say at the moment." We will also make sure we don't betray our principles Simon HughesLib Dems class="" href="/2/hi/uk_news/politics/election_2010/8669045.stm">Analysis: The price of a deal class="" href="/2/hi/uk_news/politics/election_2010/8666221.stm">Election 2010: At-a-glance
And Lib Dem energy spokesman Simon Hughes told journalists: "Things are going properly. Things are going carefully. I am not going to speculate. You'll just have to wait." Senior Lib Dem Simon Hughes told the BBC Mr Clegg said talks had only just started but they were "working constructively" and he had no doubt the Lib Dems would be able to "come to a common view".
Mr Clegg will meet his MPs and his executive committee later to meet to discuss Mr Cameron's proposals in the wake of the first general election to deliver a hung parliament since 1974. "Nick will want to carry his party with him," he said.
BBC political correspondent Peter Hunt said the Lib Dem leader "will have to keep his party with him". "Everybody in Britain will expect us to be responsible. We know what the timetable is, it is between now and Wednesday of next week when Parliament comes back. And the civil service was ready for this eventuality and is there to support this process over the next few days."
On Friday Mr Cameron had a "very constructive" conversation with Mr Clegg by phone, although there was little discussion of details, the BBC understands. He said the Lib Dems and Tories were not "immediate natural allies" but they had to respond "constructively to try to build an arrangement - it may be a coalition, it could be less than that" to deal with the "political, economic, environmental and other crises".
'Not credible'
But he added "we will also make sure we don't betray our principles" and said the Lib Dems were a "radical party to its DNA" and would not stop being so.
Electoral reform is likely to be a key battleground - the Lib Dems have long campaigned for the first-past-the-post system to be replaced with a form of proportional representation. The Conservatives oppose changing the voting system.
Labour minister Ben Bradshaw told the BBC it was "not credible" that the Lib Dems would do a deal with the Conservatives without the promise of electoral reform.
ELECTION SPECIAL David Dimbleby will present a hung parliament special at midday on BBC One. Poll Watch: Were they accurate? Analysis: Deal or no deal? Cameron offers deal to Lib Dems
He said Gordon Brown could remain prime minister in a "progressive" coalition deal with the Liberal Democrats, if their talks with the Tories failed.
He added: "I think the fact that we have deprived the Conservatives of a majority is no small victory for Gordon Brown."
Mr Cameron offered an "all party committee of inquiry on political and electoral reform" but has not offered a referendum on changing the voting system - something Mr Brown has pledged if Labour remain in power.
Senior Conservative Liam Fox told the BBC: "It would seem to me very strange in an election that was dominated by the economy...if the government of the UK was held to ransom over an issue that the voters did not see as their priority."
'No free-for-all'
He admitted politicians were "constrained" by the range of views within the party but said the question was whether the parties would focus on their similarities to provide a "stable government for the country" or whether "elements within the parties" would be allowed to focus on their differences.
He said that was not "a free-for-all for politicians cobbling deals after the election".
"The Conservatives are the biggest party, we've got the biggest proportion of the vote and it's reasonable that a programme would be followed that put the larger part of our manifesto into place."
The Tories secured 306 of the 649 constituencies contested on 6 May. It leaves the party just short of the 326 MPs needed for an outright majority, with the Thirsk and Malton seat - where the election was postponed after the death of a candidate - still to vote.The Tories secured 306 of the 649 constituencies contested on 6 May. It leaves the party just short of the 326 MPs needed for an outright majority, with the Thirsk and Malton seat - where the election was postponed after the death of a candidate - still to vote.
Labour finished with 258 MPs, down 91, the Lib Dems 57, down five, and other parties 28. The Conservatives got 36.1% of votes (up 3.8%), Labour 29.1% (down 6.2%) and the Lib Dems 23% (up 1%).Labour finished with 258 MPs, down 91, the Lib Dems 57, down five, and other parties 28. The Conservatives got 36.1% of votes (up 3.8%), Labour 29.1% (down 6.2%) and the Lib Dems 23% (up 1%).
Past practice under Britain's unwritten constitution involves the sitting prime minister in a hung Parliament having the right to make the first attempt at forming a ruling coalition.Past practice under Britain's unwritten constitution involves the sitting prime minister in a hung Parliament having the right to make the first attempt at forming a ruling coalition.
William Hague and George Osborne were among the senior Tories at the meeting But Mr Clegg - whose party did worse than in 2005 despite favourable opinion polls - said that he believed the Tories had gained the "first right" to attempt to form a government in the "national interest".
But Mr Cameron said Mr Brown had "lost his mandate to govern" after the Conservatives won the most votes and the most seats.
And Mr Clegg said he believed the result gave the Tories the right to seek to govern first.
Mr Cameron referred to the "outgoing Labour government" in his speech. But Mr Brown said he was making his statement "as prime minister with a constitutional duty to seek to resolve the situation for the good of the country".
The Conservative leader said talks would begin with other parties. He said one option was to offer them reassurances about certain policy areas - then try to govern as a minority Conservative government.
But he said it might be possible "to have stronger, more stable, more collaborative government than that".
"I want to make a big, open and comprehensive offer to the Liberal Democrats. I want us to work together in tackling our country's big and urgent problems - the debt crisis, our deep social problems and our broken political system," he said.
While there were policy disagreements between the Tories and Lib Dems - including on the European Union and defence - there were also "many areas of common ground", he said.
BBC political editor Nick Robinson said that while he doubted the Lib Dems would take up the offer of a formal coalition, they might be prepared to let Mr Cameron govern by not voting down the Queen's Speech or Budget. Taking that option would allow them not to be tainted by decisions they did not like.
Former Conservative prime minister Sir John Major told the BBC offering the Lib Dems cabinet seats was "a price, in the national interest, that I personally would be prepared to bear" for the formation of a stable government able to manage the economic crisis.
Earlier, outside No 10, Mr Brown said he would be "willing to see any of the party leaders" adding: "I understand and completely respect the position of Mr Clegg in stating that he wishes first to make contact with the leader of the Conservative Party."
Gordon Brown: ''I would be willing to see any of the party leaders''
But he added "should the discussions between Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg come to nothing... I would be prepared to discuss with Mr Clegg the areas where there may be some measure of agreement between our two parties".
He said there were areas of "substantial common ground" - including reforming the voting system and plans to ensure economic stability, he said.
Mr Clegg - whose party has done worse than in 2005 despite favourable opinion polls - said that he believed the Tories had gained the "first right" to attempt to form a government in the "national interest".
Speaking outside Lib Dem headquarters in London, he said: "It is vital that all parties, all political leaders, act in the national interest and not out of narrow party political advantage."
Downing Street has authorised the civil service to support other parties in hung parliament negotiations - essentially giving the go-ahead for talks to begin.