Coalition for Britain

Now we learn what it is like to have a coalition government. While no-one specifically voted for it, most people seem to like the idea of it, given the outcome of the General Election.

The Conservatives had no alternative. As the largest party, constitutional precedent gave us the opportunity to seek to form a Government. Had we failed to secure support from the Liberal Democrats, Labour as the outgoing governing party would have had the right to seek to govern as a minority, either with or without support from other parties. We did not have that option.

For Conservatives to offer the country the stable, decisive Government so desperately needed, we had to form common cause with the Liberal Democrats.

There will undoubtedly be anxious moments for both Conservative and LibDem supporters, particularly in those parts of the country like the Ludlow constituency, where we have just been challenging each other in the General Election.

But the country faces an immense challenge ahead. The legacy of Labour has been to bring the country to the brink of bankruptcy. Sorting this out will require some very tough decisions to be taken. This requires a stable government. So for the sake of the country, both parties have put the national interest ahead of party to agree a common platform.

The details will emerge over coming weeks, but for now we should recognise that there has been a huge change in British politics. The country has a Conservative Prime Minister again, supported by all Conservative MPs and all Liberal Democrat MPs.

The initial feedback I am getting from across the constituency is that this coalition has been very broadly welcomed.