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David Cameron and Nick Clegg: coalition will last five-year term David Cameron and Nick Clegg: coalition will last five-year term
(about 7 hours later)
David Cameron and Nick Clegg have declared that the coalition will last until the next general election in 2015, as they insisted the row over House of Lords reform would not be allowed to disrupt the work of the government. David Cameron and Nick Clegg have challenged critics in both their parties by declaring that the coalition will last until the next general election in 2015, as they insisted the row over House of Lords reform would not be allowed to disrupt the work of the government.
In a joint appearance at a railway depot at Smethwick, as the cabinet met to announce a £9bn investment in the rail network, the two men announced a renewed push with the publication of a mid-term review of the coalition later this summer. In a joint appearance at a railway depot at Smethwick as the cabinet met to announce a £9bn investment in the rail network, the deputy prime minister said he was speaking for both men when he said they would not lose their nerve.
Cameron and Clegg moved to shore up the coalition after Graham Brady, the chairman of the Conservative 1922 committee, suggested it could end before the 2015 general election. Brady spoke out on the BBC Radio 4's Westminster Hour on Sunday evening after 91 Tory MPs rebelled against the coalition's plans to reform the House of Lords. "Clearly we have faced much more serious economic headwinds than we could possibly have expected two years ago," Clegg said. "It is no wonder there are some people who lose their nerve at this stage but I can speak for both of us – we are not going to lose our nerve."
In an attempt to show a renewed sense of purpose they announced the publication in the early autumn of a mid-term review of the coalition. This was described as a "stocktaking" exercise that will review progress on the coalition agreement. The review will not outline new policy areas.
Cameron and Clegg moved to shore up the coalition after a bumpy week in which Graham Brady, the chairman of the Conservative 1922 committee, suggested it could end before the next general election. Brady spoke out on BBC Radio 4's Westminster Hour on Sunday after 91 Tory MPs rebelled against the coalition's plans to reform the House of Lords.
The prime minister rejected Brady's intervention. Standing next to Clegg in Smethwick, he said: "I am even more committed to coalition government, to making this coalition government today, than I was in May 2010 when Nick Clegg and I formed this government. It has real purpose, a real mission."The prime minister rejected Brady's intervention. Standing next to Clegg in Smethwick, he said: "I am even more committed to coalition government, to making this coalition government today, than I was in May 2010 when Nick Clegg and I formed this government. It has real purpose, a real mission."
In a message directed at the Tory right, many of whose supporters have never accepted the coalition, the prime minister said: "In a world of uncertain markets does anyone think we would be better off with a minority government that couldn't carry its legislation, that couldn't make rapid decisions?"In a message directed at the Tory right, many of whose supporters have never accepted the coalition, the prime minister said: "In a world of uncertain markets does anyone think we would be better off with a minority government that couldn't carry its legislation, that couldn't make rapid decisions?"
Cameron announced that the coalition would soon publish a mid-term review of its progress, stressing the government would last until the next general election in 2015. "We will be publishing a mid-term review at the end of the summer, as we go into autumn, looking at the things we have achieved so far but setting out the next goals and objectives of things this coalition government wants to achieve in the remainder of this parliamentary term. Cameron insisted the coalition would last until the next general election in 2015. "I say this parliamentary term because that is what this government is for. It is important we have that fixed term, that fixed government. People know, the markets know, businesses know that there is strong, decisive government throughout this term."
"I say this parliamentary term because that is what this government is for. It is important we have that fixed term, that fixed government. People know, the markets know, businesses know that there is strong decisive government throughout this term."
Asked what odds he would give on the survival of the coalition, the prime minister said: "I am not a big betting man but I wouldn't bet against it."Asked what odds he would give on the survival of the coalition, the prime minister said: "I am not a big betting man but I wouldn't bet against it."
Clegg said: "I'd put a considerable amount of money on us seeing it through to 2015 because that is what we are committed to doing and that is what we will do."Clegg said: "I'd put a considerable amount of money on us seeing it through to 2015 because that is what we are committed to doing and that is what we will do."
The deputy PM said that coalition was "not a walk in the park" but he indicated that the Liberal Democrats would not abandon the coalition if reform of the House of Lords is rejected. "It is tough to be in government in difficult times, it is not always a walk in the park or in the rose garden," he said. "Of course you get some bumps in the road in the Westminster village, as we did last week on House of Lords reform." The deputy prime minister said that coalition was "not always a walk … in the Rose Garden" – a reference to the launch of the coalition agreement in May 2010. "It is tough to be in government in difficult times, it is not always a walk in the park or in the Rose Garden," he said. "Of course you get some bumps in the road in the Westminster village, as we did last week on House of Lords reform."
But the deputy prime minister added: "None of that will stop us from continuing to govern in the national interest for the whole country. Above all, that means accepting that there are no simple, quick, easy short cuts which secure instant political popularity. But Clegg indicated that he was in no mood to abandon the coalition if Lords reform fails. "None of that will stop us from continuing to govern in the national interest for the whole country. Above all, that means accepting that there are no simple, quick, easy shortcuts which secure instant political popularity.
"We need to put short-term popularity to one side and get on with making the big long-term reforms and changes this country so desperately needs." Clegg cited economic and social reform as the two main priorities."We need to put short-term popularity to one side and get on with making the big long-term reforms and changes this country so desperately needs." Clegg cited economic and social reform as the two main priorities.
The deputy PM also appeared to back away from the warning, voiced on Sunday by the former Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell, that his party may refuse to support Tory plans to reduce the size of the House of Commons if the Tories block Lords reform. Asked whether Lords reform and changes to the Commons were linked, Clegg said: "The coalition agreement has got a whole bunch of things in it. We have delivered everything in that coalition agreement, very consistently on both sides of the coalition, and we are going to continue to do so." But David Laws, the former Lib Dem Treasury chief secretary who remains close to Clegg, indicated that the party may withdraw support for Tory plans to reduce the size of the Commons if Lords reform fails. "I don't think there is anybody in either party who thinks that either of the coalition parties cannot deliver on the pledges made in May 2010 without there being consequences of that," Laws told Radio 4's PM programme.
The Tory right warned the prime minister that he should be prepared to end the coalition, and lead a minority Conservative government, if the Lib Dems refuse to support the boundary commission review to shrink the commons from 650 to 600 MPs.
Stewart Jackson, who resigned as a ministerial aide last year over a possible EU referendum, told Radio 4's The World at One: "If they do do that ... that would be such an egregious breach of faith that David Cameron would be needing to think about a minority Conservative government, a growth bill, putting forward marriage tax breaks, UK Bill of Rights – things we would want to do on our own. That breach of faith would end the coalition government."
Cameron depicted the mid-term review as a "slimmed-down" version of the coalition agreement, which would look back at achievements and highlight the main themes for the last two and a half years of the coalition. Clegg said: "The mid-term review is not another great tablet of stone, as per the original coalition agreement. But it will be a really useful reminder of quite how much we have done and what is left to do."Cameron depicted the mid-term review as a "slimmed-down" version of the coalition agreement, which would look back at achievements and highlight the main themes for the last two and a half years of the coalition. Clegg said: "The mid-term review is not another great tablet of stone, as per the original coalition agreement. But it will be a really useful reminder of quite how much we have done and what is left to do."